By Any Means Necessary
by Sparky61390
Summary: Twist on Naruto vs. Sasuke at the Valley of the End. Naruto "wins", thinks he killed Sasuke. Runs away, and the adventure begins!
1. Prologue

By Any Means Necessary

By Any Means Necessary

First and foremost, I want to make this clear. I don't own any of the characters, techniques, etc… found in this fan fiction, nor do I claim to. I also took a lot of creative license, creating, and possibly changing jutsu. I merely wrote this because I have too much free time. Enjoy

Prologue

The two ninja, once best friends, now archrivals, it seemed, were locked in combat. It had come to blows between the two, genin by title, but so much more by stature. One, the prison in which the dreaded nine-tailed fox was held, and the other, one of the only surviving Uchihas, and bearer of one of Orochimaru's curse marks, the pair launched blow after blow towards each other. Their forms distorted beyond recognition, they battled on. Sasuke's hair had gone white; his eyes sinister, and monstrous wings had sprouted from his back. Naruto's appearance was feral, sheathed in glowing red chakra, and his teeth and claws extended to resemble the fox inside him. They stopped a moment, glaring across the waterfall; each perched on opposite sides of the monument.

"Naruto…" Sasuke said in his naturally cocky tone.

"Sasuke!" Naruto growled through bared fangs.

"The time for words has passed…It's time to end it. Here and now, one of us will exist only in memory." Sasuke said as he lowered his right arm, grasping his forearm tightly with his left hand. "Chidori…" his breathing became labored, as he forced all of his remaining energy into the ball of lightning attached to his arm. One thousand birds, it was sometimes called, as the sound it made resembled the chirping of so many birds. Naruto just glared in response, forming a spherical manifestation of chakra in his right palm. A shadow clone was summoned to his side without hand signs, gestures or words. The clone reacted quickly, forcing the vibrant energy to spin rapidly in Naruto's hand. Simultaneously they leapt from their positions, the ground at their feet erupting and falling with the waterfall to crash into the lake below.

As the two flew at each other, time seemed to slow for this climactic end to their battle. Sasuke wore an arrogant grin, and Naruto's face was full of anger. The silhouette of the nine-tailed beast rose behind Naruto, feeding from his anger and drinking in his power. Sasuke continued to smile, unconcerned with the outcome of the battle. Their hands out stretched, only feet away, the very air around them began to crackle with power, and the water parted around them as if to avoid being destroyed. Inches away, a dark burst of power enveloped the two, hiding the fight from any onlooker. The two combatants, however, needed no sight at this point, and collided. Sasuke's Chidori and Naruto's Rasengan plowed into each other, merely extensions of the two ninja's limbs.

"SASUKE!!" Naruto shouted once again, though his voice was lost in the cacophonous roar of the waterfall and the two forces colliding.

"Naruto…" Sasuke sighed once more as his eyes closed. The two Jutsu exploded, catapulting the two forms in either direction. All semblance of energy was gone from the valley, and it was quiet, until the waterfall's rushing water resumed its eternal journey.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I: Recovery

Chapter I: Recovery

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Kakashi Hatake said quietly as he kneeled over the injured boy. "Where is Naruto?" he asked.

"Naru...to…" Sasuke stuttered as his eyes opened briefly and closed.

"He needs medical attention…I don't have the time to look for Naruto" Kakashi said as he turned to look to Pakkun.

"I'm sorry Kakashi. I've got no time either. I don't know what those boys did, but I'm completely drained. I'll see you next time…" the small dog said in his abnormally deep voice as he faded into vapor. Kakashi signed in resignation as he picked Sasuke up, and began his trek back to the village.

"Sasuke!!" Sakura cried as she leapt onto Sasuke's hospital bed, his wounds theoretically healed. "I would have come sooner but they wouldn't let me!" Sasuke reeled in pain, but let it slide. He looked at Sakura, and then away, ashamed of what he had done to his only two friends. "I'm so glad you're alive! I'm going to go check on Naruto now, but I'll be right back, I promise!"

"Wait, Sakura, did you say Naruto was here?" Sasuke looked at her puzzled.

"What do you mean? Didn't he come back with you and Kakashi sensei?" Sakura said quizzically. She paused at the door, looking at Sasuke as he sat up.

"No, he didn't, Sakura. I never found Naruto." Kakashi said as he appeared in the window of the room.

"What…That's not possible…he promised me, that he would bring Sasuke back, and he'd come back safe too…"

"I'm sorry Sakura, but I never found him. I don't know what happened to him. Lady Tsunade is putting together a group to find him. Sakura, you should join them. Sasuke, you need to stay here and continue healing.

"I think I know what happened to Naruto…" Sasuke said with a sigh, as his head hung low.

"You do?" Kakashi and Sakura said simultaneously.

"Yes…Before I blacked out, and before you found me, we were fighting…"

"That much I knew, Sasuke." Kakashi said, wondering where Sasuke was going.

"Yeah, well…We met in combat, one last time…His Rasengan, against my Chidori…"

"That kind of power being unleashed against each other isn't good… no wonder your arm was so messed up. What were you boys thinking?"

"It doesn't matter…What does matter, is he won…I was lying there, fading in and out of consciousness, and I saw him standing over me. His eyes were full of shock, and horror. I blacked out as he leapt away from me. I think…I think he thought he killed me." Sasuke finished.

"So, what your saying is…Naruto thinks he's a rogue ninja?"

_What did I do? _Naruto thought as he lay awake, staring at the stars, just a few days after his encounter with Sasuke. His wounds had healed naturally, thanks to the fox, which he was becoming more and more familiar with. _You defended yourself…He was going to kill you, so you killed him first. It's all very simple. You did the right thing, Naruto. _The fox entered his thoughts once more, though they did nothing to comfort him. _I promised her…I promised to Sakura, that I'd bring him back, and I killed him! On top of that, I killed a Leaf Village Shinobi! I'm a rogue ninja…_His thoughts went back to Kakashi's occasional reference to the bingo book, that book in which every wanted ninja's name and face were placed. _Will I go in there? With those kind of people?_ He imagined Orochimaru, Kabuto, Zabuza…all the rogue ninja he had encountered in his brief life as a ninja. _Of course you will… They will want you dead, which is why you can never go to the Hidden Leaf Village again. The Anbu Black Ops will definitely try to hunt us down…_The fox's voices resonated inside Naruto's currently fragile mind. _Us? What do you mean, us? _Naruto questioned the fox as he sat up on the tree branch he was perched on. He imagined a very clear image of the fox before him, sitting there, talking to him.

"We are one, Naruto…You would not have survived the battle with Sasuke without me, nor would you have survived through the injuries. We are one being now, no matter how much I dislike being prisoner inside you. I'm sure that fool Jiraiya told you, that I can no longer exist without you?"

"Yes, he did, which is why you help me fight, right?"

"Right…So, now you see I need you," the Fox swallowed the words as if they had a foul taste. "And you need me. We will become one, Naruto Uzamaki, and perhaps, one day, when we are as strong as the three Sanin, we will begin our own Hidden Village, and we will be Hokage. That is what you want, correct?"

"Hokage…" The fox's voice oozed into Naruto's mind like a vile poison, convincing him of the ideas the fox had placed before him. "Hokage." Naruto said as he stood up and leapt to the road. "What do we have to do? We are one, and we will be Hokage."

"You might need a new Ninja way, as well, Naruto. Yours is not very fitting of a rogue ninja. Perhaps, 'by any means necessary' would be more fitting for you, now?"

"By any means necessary…" Naruto repeated as the fox's image dissipated and Naruto walked slowly down the starlit road.

"Lady Tsunade, we have to go find Naruto now! He may think he is a rogue ninja!" Kakashi shouted as he ran quickly into the Hokage's chamber.

"You can't just run in here like that, Kakashi!" Shizune yelled as she followed him into the room. "Lady Tsunade, I'm sorry I couldn't hold him behind the doors!"

"Forget it, Shizune. You couldn't stop Kakashi from getting in here even if you had a full squad of Black Ops with you."

"I appreciate the praise, Lady Hokage, but there are more important things to tend to than flattery."

"I understand that, Kakashi. I've already dispatched someone to put together and appropriate group. Unfortunately, it will be composed of Genin, and once again led by Shikimaru."

"Let me go with them! Naruto is my student, and I need to find him, before he makes mistakes based upon his assumption! He may think Sasuke is dead!"

"Technically, Kakashi, Naruto is my student. I'll help the kids find him, don't worry." Jiraiya said with a big smile as he stood on the windowsill behind Tsunade.

"Jiraiya…" Shizune stuttered…" Oh, I give up!" and with a huff she walked out.

"Jiraiya, you have more important things you could be doing, and so do you, Kakashi! " She grasped a pamphlet in each hand, and handed one to each of the ninja. "There are your missions. I expect them to be completed in a manner that befits ninja of your caliber. Now go, Naruto will be found, I have complete confidence in Shikimaru's leadership. He is brilliant, and gets more so every day." Her head dropped back into paperwork, and Kakashi and Jiraiya stood there. Her eyes lifted quickly to see them still there. "GO!!" She hollered, surprising the two ninja. Kakashi took several steps back in shock, as did Jiraiya. Unfortunately, Jiraiya was on a windowsill, over a 50-foot drop. He shouted and fell with eyes wide, then summoned and landed upon one of his signature massive toads.

"Give a guy some warning next time you do that!!" Jiraiya shouted, but it landed upon deaf ears. He grumbled incoherently, sat cross-legged on his toad, and went to his mission. Kakashi offered a short bow, and vanished from the Hokage's sight.

Tsunade sighed heavily. "Men…"

"Listen Sakura, I'm sorry, but I don't think I can use you. Stay with Sasuke; just make sure he gets well. I'm sorry, but this is a search and possibly rescue mission, and you don't have any particular skill in either of those areas." Shikimaru shook his head as he continued his walk around the village, piecing together his team. He was permitted to take any genin he wanted, and wasn't going to take any unnecessary people to risk injury. He knew he wanted Neji and Shino, both were excellent at finding people. Kiba was also a natural choice, with Akimaru's super sense of smell. Ino was a solid choice too; she could capture someone's body if needed. Choji was still injured from their last mission, but was expecting a full recovery. Sasuke's sharingan would have been nice, but he too was injured. Sakura…well, Sakura wasn't much help either. She could barely heal a fish with her medical ninja training, and it would be better for her to do some training.

"I have to come…Naruto needs to know Sasuke is alive!"

"I'll give him the message...Please Sakura, just train hard to be a medical ninja. Maybe next time I'll bring you along. Again, I'm sorry." _Man, what a drag…_

"Of course I'll come with you, Shikimaru! I'd be happy to track down Naruto!" Ino said as she hugged Shikimaru tightly. _She's been getting awfully touchy feely.. Does that mean she's moved on from Sasuke? What a drag…_

"It would be an honor, Shikimaru. Our last mission together was very…enlightening." Neji said in his typically plain tone as he shook Shikimaru's hand.

"Shikimaru, I'm glad you chose me to join you. Will Kiba or Hinata be joining us?" Shino said as he adjusted his glasses with his index finger.

"Kiba yes, Hinata, no. She is training with her father. From what I can tell, she's been getting quite strong fairly quickly. Something inspired her, I think."

"Quite probably. I'll be ready soon." And Shino closed the door behind him.

"Yeah, Shikimaru! Obviously I'll go with you! It'd be a thrill to knock that knucklehead down a peg! I never got him back for what he did at the Chunin exams!"

"Thanks, Kiba. It'll be good to have you along again."

"So why am I the last you decided to ask?" the young blonde woman asked Shikimaru. _Great…I've got no chance of getting out of this unscathed. Women…what a drag. _Shikimaru thought to himself.

"Well, honestly? Because you were the farthest away". _It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I was fearing some sort of retribution because I haven't talked to you since you saved my ass on that last mission…_

"Oh, well since that's the case, and your not hiding from me because you've avoided me since that last mission, I'd be happy to come along. Call it a done deal." Temari smiled wide, then leaned over and planted a kiss on Shikimaru's cheek. "I'll see you at the gate" she said as she went back into her borrowed room in the village. _What is with women? Ever since I became a chunin…Man, what a drag…_

"Lady Tsunade, this is the team I've put together. I know you said I could take whoever I wanted, but I felt like I should submit the group for your approval." Shikimaru stood before the Hokage a step ahead of the line of his comrades.

"Fine… Neji Hyuga, Shino Abarame, Inuzuka Kiba, Ino Yamanaka, and Temari…I'm sorry I don't know your full name." Tsunade said after perusing the scantily clad young woman.

"It's fine. Temari is what everyone calls me. Don't sweat it" and she put on a big grin.

"Alright…and led by Shikimaru Nara. Your mission, as I'm sure you all know, is to discover what has happened to Naruto Uzamaki. This is a fairly high priority mission, but should by no means be out of your skill range. If he is alive, then bring him back that way. If he isn't…well, you get the idea. You're dismissed." The Hokage waved her hand, and the squad all bowed, and disappeared.

"Welcome back, Kakashi." Tsunade said before the smoke had cleared, and Kakashi appeared in the room. He placed a paper on her desk.

"My mission is complete, Lady Hokage. May I follow the squad you sent…"and before his sentence was complete, another pamphlet was in his hand. Kakashi sighed, bowed, and disappeared.

"Alright team, you heard her. We bring Naruto back to the village, safe and sound." Shikimaru said as his team stood at the gates of the village. Everyone nodded in agreement. "Now, we need to get to the waterfall where Naruto and Sasuke fought. I've been given detailed directions, but for those of you that joined me last time…you know it will take us some time at a walk. From here on out, we run till dusk, sleep, wake at dawn, and run some more, got it?" Again, everyone nodded. "Let's go!" he shouted as he turned and leapt off into the trees. The others followed him, easily keeping pace. Ino and Temari often made brief attempts at conversation with Shikimaru, but he merely pressed on. _I've got two fawning women following me, and I have to go rescue Naruto…I just hope they don't notice each other…What a drag…_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter II: Deception

Chapter II: Deception

Naruto woke from a fitful sleep groggy and tired. He picked himself off the ground and brushed himself off. _All night…I kept rethinking what happened…These nightmares won't stop. _

"The nightmare's are a reminder of what happens…what happens when your so-called friends betray you. What happens when you place _trust_ in someone. Place your trust in me, and all will become clear. You will be a Hokage, and your power will be eternal, ranking with that of Jiraiya, Sarutobi, and Orochimaru." The fox's image hissed as it returned.

"I won't be like Orochimaru…I won't do it. That bastard, he…" Naruto's hands and teeth clenched involuntarily.

"Remember our new Ninja way…By any means necessary." The fox grinned as he saw the anger leave Naruto's eyes, and they were replaced by a look of deep thought.

"By any means necessary, huh? If it means I'll get to be Hokage, I'll do it. But if I ever see Orochimaru, I'll kill him for doing what he did to Sasuke!"

"You must forget your old, trivial, grudges. Sasuke was not your friend…he tried to kill you, Naruto. He would have, if you hadn't been stronger. You are strong, but there is much more that we can learn. I know how we can do it. There is a man who was once a…good friend of mine. He will make you stronger. We have far to go, Naruto Uzemaki, but we will get there." The fox disappeared as Naruto walked north along the road.

"It's Northwest of here, right?" Naruto said as his conversation continued in his own mind. He needed no confirmation, and he kept walking.

"WHAT?!" Sasuke said as he bolted out of bed, rushing to get his clothing on.

"Yes, Shikimaru and several others left yesterday to go look for Naruto."

"They left without me? They don't know what he is! They don't understand what could happen to all of them! I have to go!" Sasuke pushed past Sakura and out the door. Several doctors attempted to hold him back, and get him back to bed, but it was useless to try and stop him. He ran out of the hospital as fast as he could run and left the village, carrying no gear whatsoever.

"Sasuke…" Sakura said quietly. "Be careful…" and a few tears escaped her eyes.

"Shikimaru, we've been running for a day and we still haven't reached the valley where Naruto and Sasuke fought. Where is it?" Kiba asked impatiently as the group continued to bolt through the forest.

"It's just up ahead, only a little longer" Shikimaru replied.

"You said that four hours ago!" Kiba cried back.

"Yeah, now I'm serious. Then I wanted you to shut up. Come to think of it, I STILL want you to shut up. I have to think of a plan…it rained for days after Sasuke came back, so all physical evidence will be gone." Shikimaru's brow furrowed as he attempted to sort everything. _Why do they always choose me? Shino and Neji must be just as good at leading as me, and more motivated. Bah, what's done is done. I need to figure out how to find Naruto. Kiba can't sniff him out, not with all the rain, and there aren't any footprints, even faint ones, for Neji to see with his byakugan. Ino and Temeri aren't detection specialists, so they can't be of any help yet. _"Hey Temeri, what do you think about this? How can we track Naruto down without any physical evidence?"

"Why do you ask her? What about me?" Ino shouted. All the others slanted an eyebrow at her. "And the others…aren't we of any use to you?"

"Temeri thinks like I do, she plans dozens of moves ahead, and is incredibly bright. If anyone besides me can figure something out, it's probably her." Temeri landed next to Ino briefly and glared superiorly. Ino glared back, furious.

"Shikimaru, I can find Naruto." Shino said calmly.

"How? Tell me!" Shikimaru yelled.

"Not much escapes the eyes of insects, there are so many we never see, and they are everywhere. I'd bet I could find plenty that saw Naruto, and they'd be more than happy to tell us where he went." Ino stuck her tongue out towards Temeri, and Temeri cocked an eyebrow.

"Great thinking, Shino!" Shikimaru said excitedly. "And we are here, the valley is this next clearing". They left the forest and came onto the rocky outcropping that was once the top of the waterfall. The two monolithic statues that had once stood, flanking the falling water, were in ruin. The river had been drastically changed, and it began roughly 50 feet back from where it had once been. Dozens of rocks stood upright in the water, and it had swelled greatly.

"Wow…those two aren't normal, are they?" Ino said, shocked. _Do none of them know Naruto has the nine-tailed fox inside him, and that Sasuke has that curse mark?_ Shikimaru thought.

"No they aren't, Ino. Naruto happens to be harboring a demon inside him, and Sasuke has a dangerous curse-mark from Orochimaru, as well as the sharingan. They are by no means normal." Neji replied calmly.

"Shino, I'll admit you had a good plan, but I don't think it will work if there aren't any bugs left!" Kiba said in amazement as he looked over the cliff.

"It's fine, Kiba. Hold on just a moment." Shino made several quick hand signs, ending them with "Insect-summoning Jutsu!" as his hands thudded into the rock. Streaks of blue chakra shot out from his hands, forming a spider-web pattern. Almost immediately, thousands of insects crawled towards the web of chakra Shino had created.

"Apparently, Naruto went across the river. He headed north, and something about him was not natural. The insects do not know what to make of it." Shino said as he adjusted his glasses.

"Thanks, Shino. Neji, I don't suppose you can see Naruto with your byakugan can you?" Shikimaru asked.

"I can try, Shikimaru. Byakugan!" he said aloud as he clasped his hands. His kekkai-genkai long since perfected, he surveyed the area to the north for several miles for any sign of the infamous knucklehead ninja, but to no effect. "He is not anywhere around here, Shikimaru. He did have several days ahead of us." Neji said, dismayed.

"Alright…good work guys. Let's get across this river." Each ninja took his or her own path to cross the river. Kiba leapt over the river in a few short bounds using all four limbs, while several others simply jumped rock to rock. Neji walked across the river, the water undisturbed by his passage. Temeri took a nose-dive off the cliff, only to use her massive fan as a hang-glider, zipping back to the top. She was the first across, and glared suggestively to Shikimaru, and superiorly to Ino. Ino scowled darkly, wishing she knew a jutsu to make heads explode. Shikimaru just sighed, and the others didn't notice, or didn't care. _Oh great, they noticed each other…terrific. _

_Naruto…Where are you? I just hope I find you before Shikimaru's group does…I don't think they know what they are up against…_ Sasuke thought as he continued bolting through the forest at unnatural speed. All of a sudden, he stopped on a thick branch and wrapped his left around the trunk and spun himself around. He threw a kunai knife straight and hard. A resounding _thunk_ echoed through the forest as the kunai hit a tree.

"Sasuke, it is me. You have nothing to fear. I apologize for trailing you like that, but I did not think you would allow me to follow you." Rock Lee said as he landed near Sasuke.

"Go home. You don't know what Naruto is capable of. I hardly do." Sasuke said as he turned around.

"Then why are you so desperate to fight him alone? If it is because he beat you and you cannot allow that to go unavenged, then that is fine, but would it not make sense to have someone to help you find him,or bring him back?" Rock said as he adjusted his torn bandage, ripped by Sasuke's accurate throw.

"Fine, you can come. But when we find Naruto, if I say so, you have to back off, got it?"

"That is fine, too, Sasuke. Let's get moving!" Rock cheered as he leapt off the branch, to take off on the ground. Sasuke followed suit, and the two unnaturally fast ninja bolted off after the others.

"Sasuke did WHAT?" Tsunade screamed at a doctor from the hospital as she stodd and slammed her fists onto the table.

"I apologize Lady Hokage, but my staff are not fighters. We are medical specialists. As fast and as strong as Uchiha is, we could not have hoped to bring him down." He bowed down in front of the Lady's rage, fearing the worst.

"Fine…what's done is done. Worst-case scenario, he catches up to the other group and they bring Naruto home faster. You're dismissed." She said as she sat back down to more paperwork. "This whole scandal has gone out of control…"

"The boy has left the Hidden Leaf Village, Itachi." Hoshigake Kisame said with a hiss. "Three years may be too long to wait, wouldn't you think? We could take him now, and be done with it."

"Kisame, can't you feel it? The demon fox's chakra is more visible, more present. It would be wise to wait, to see if we can't catch him deeply injured. Besides I haven't watched my little brother fight in a very long time, and I might be amused by how far he still has to go before he can even pretend he is as strong as I am." Itachi Uchiha said without smiling. He and Kisame walked away from the cliff they had been watching Naruto from, and towards the setting sun.

Naruto woke slowly and put his clothing on. He was still having the same nightmares, but they were lessened now. A week had passed since his battle with Sasuke, and no one had come after him yet. He had expected Kakashi, or Jiraiya, or at least a few Anbu Black Ops, but so far, no one. _Why hasn't anyone come to get me yet? _Naruto asked himself. _Because they can't find us. I've been covering our trail, Naruto. You still haven't regained your full strength, so being pursued isn't in our best interest right now. What we need to do is attract some other ninja. Being Hokage of a one-man village isn't much to boast about._ Naruto sighed and started walking. He had no equipment other than standard ninja tools, so he had no packing to do. _By tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, we will have regained our strength, and our mission can begin in earnest. _At that point, Naruto saw a pillar of smoke rising from behind a small hill. He began to run towards it to investigate. What he found was a ruined village. A small village, to be sure, not more than one thousand people could have lived there.

"Oh no! What happened?" Naruto shouted as he ran down the hill towards the village.

"You happened, Naruto. Last night, you destroyed this village" The fox's image and voice came again like a recurring nightmare, feeding an image that appeared as a memory to Naruto, but was truly a clever ruse to the fox. "I was so proud of you". The fox had no knowledge of why the village was ruined, but if he ever wanted Naruto to kill someone, he had to start somewhere.

"No, this isn't something to be proud of! I'm, I'm a monster…I can't ever go back to the leaf village now!" Naruto fell to his knees amidst the rubble as tears flowed from his eyes. "Why didn't you stop me? You could have! I killed innocent people! Get out of my head! I don't want you with me anymore!" Naruto shouted as he punched the visage in front of him, only to stumble through the imaginary demon fox.

"I'd be just as happy to leave you, Naruto, but we both know I can't. You did this, Naruto, and now, your life begins anew"

"No…it can't be…I would never…how?"  
"Quit your quivering…we don't have much time before they catch up to us"

"Who? Who is coming?"

"Your little genin friends from the leaf village. They've been tracking us since a few days after you killed the Uchiha, and they are gaining on us."

"Then I need to run! I need to get out of here!" Naruto said as he picked himself up.

"Or…we could stay here" The fox's voice took on a more sinister tone as his plan seeped into Naruto's mind.

"But…I couldn't. I could never hurt them, they are my friends!"

"THEY ARE COMING TO KILL YOU, BOY!" The fox's visage grew ten times in size and screamed at Naruto. "And they will not be held back by childish restraints. They will take you, kicking and screaming, back to the leaf village, or they will take you back dead. They don't care which"

"No, I can't fight them!"

"You have to, Naruto! You are one and they are many, if you defeat them, then the village will stop pursuing you, trust me"

"Who is coming?" Naruto asked as he calmed down.

"Now you are thinking…you want to know, so you can form a plan to defeat them, am I correct?"

"Just tell me…who is coming?"

"I will tell you everything I know, Naruto, and we will prepare" the fox's visage slipped back into Naruto's imagination as he set to work, dousing the flames of the village, setting his trap.

"Shikimaru…Someone is following us," Neji said as the numerous genin ran through the forest.

"What? Who is it?" Shikimaru said, surprised.

"I can't tell. They only just recently entered my range of vision, but there are two of them, and they are moving fast"

"Would lady Tsunade have sent more after us? She can't be that worried about us taking down Naruto" Kiba asked.

"Don't underestimate Naruto, Kiba. While I have no doubt we can take him down, if it comes to a fight, it's almost a guarantee someone will get hurt. He's got his shadow clones, his rasengan, and he is practically immune to Neji's Gentle Fist. We fight to subdue, first and foremost, and if that doesn't work, then we fight, for our lives and his." Shikimaru warned. "Neji, tell me if you can identify who is following us, and we'll deal with it when we can."

"Very well, Shikimaru." Neji replied.

_Man, what a drag…Does Lady Tsunade not think we can take down Naruto, so she sent more after us? Or is it someone else? But who could it be?_

"Your plan is ingenious, Naruto. They will never expect it, and we will leave the battle in triumph"

"Yeah, they won't know what hit them" Naruto said as he ran to a hiding spot.

"Sasuke, we are getting close now. I would recognize Neji's chakra anywhere. By now, he is certainly caught on to the fact that we are following them" Rock Lee said as they continued running.

"I hope we get there in time, none of them understand what he can do!" Sasuke said through gritted teeth, and put on a burst of speed to try and catch up.

"Shikimaru, Naruto's scent is all over this village. He's got to be here." Kiba said as the group surveyed the wreckage.

"Could Naruto have done this?" Ino questioned as she turned over some rubble. She spun around as she heard something, and thought she saw a flash of orange, but dismissed it.

"Naruto isn't stable right now, Ino. Sasuke is dead to him, remember." Shikimaru answered.

"Hey guys. When did you get here?" Naruto said as he walked out into the center of the village. All eyes turned to stare at the ninja.

"Naruto, we are here to take you back to the leaf village!" Shikimaru shouted.

"Why do you need so many to tell me that? I'm not going to argue, I live in the leaf village." A puzzled look went across Naruto's face. "Why does everyone look so nervous?"

"Lady Hokage thought you were in a dangerous state of mind, Naruto. She thought you might resist." Kiba said flatly. Akimaru yelped in agreement.

"Well, anyway, since your not going to resist, let's just go back to the village, Naruto!" Ino said with a wide smile as she walked over to Naruto to clamp a hand on his shoulder.

"Ino, stop! Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikimaru shouted as he maneuvered his hands quickly to freeze Ino. The jet-black streak shot out from his own shadow and clamped onto hers.

"Shikimaru, what's wrong with you?" Ino screamed as she struggled.

"It's a shadow clone, with a paper-bomb attached to it!" Temari expertly aimed a kunai at Naruto, and he vanished in the telltale puff of smoke, and a paper-bomb fell to the ground.

"Everyone, be on your guard. He wouldn't have sent a clone if he wasn't going to resist." Everyone dropped to a defensive posture at Neji's words, drew their weapons, and all went silent.

"Neji, what do you see? Is he here?" Shikimaru asked quietly.

"He's everywhere, Shikimaru. His clones have flooded the village. I don't know how I didn't see them before."

"It's fine, they're just clones. It's the real one that I'm worried about".

"Which one should we attack first, Naruto? They've brought weapons, this wasn't meant to be a peaceful meeting. The Hyuga boy might be a difficult opponent. Perhaps he should be dealt with first? Though, the same could be said for the Yamanaka girl, she could possess your body, and of course, watch out for Shikimaru. Any of those three would be a fine target for your first attack. Which will it be, Naruto?" the fox whispered, seeming almost to be excited for this opportunity.

"Shikimaru, I've never seem him produce so many clones before." Neji said, his voice almost as if he were worried.

"What are you talking about, Neji? I've seen him produce hundreds before, how many are there?" Shikimaru responded.

"Thousands…" at Neji's word, the thousands of Narutos leapt from the rubble of the town, charging in at the group.

"Stay together! Form a circle, and don't let any of them inside it!" Shikimaru shouted, and the others responded. The thousands of Naruto's drew Kunai knives, and threw them as they ran.

"We're done for! I can't dodge that many!" Kiba shouted. Neji leapt backward into the center of the circle and dropped into a stance.

"ROTATION!" Neji shouted as he began to spin furiously. The thousands of incoming Kunai bounced harmlessly off his ultimate defense, and he stopped spinning several seconds later, breathing heavily.

"Thanks, Neji, but what are we going to do about them?" Kiba asked.

"We fight! Naruto isn't interested in being subdued. Bring him down!" Temari shouted, and she whipped out her giant fan, blowing a massive gust of air, sprawling a dozen Narutos backwards into dust.

"She's right, enough screwing around! FANG OVER FANG!" Kiba yelled, as he and Akamaru turned into two giant, spiraling masses of teeth and fangs, ripping the clones apart. Neji dashed into the fray, moving at speed that was almost unnatural, blocking incoming attacks and striking clones. The others did their part, for what it was worth, not being combat specialists by any means.

"There are too many, Shikimaru! How long can we hold this up?" Ino asked, fear throughout her voice.

"Just shut up and watch how it's done!" Temari said as she landed next to Ino, blasting away another dozen Narutos.

"Now, Naruto, strike!" And strike he did. Naruto leapt into the crowd, blending in with his clones. He ducked low near Neji's fight, and started whipping his chakra into a ball.

"RASENGAN!" Naruto shouted as he broke through several of his own clones. Neji turned to avoid the blow, but for all his speed, he could not stop the whirling ball of chakra.

"Neji!" the others shouted in unison. He cried in anguish as the blow struck his ribs, and he flew away, spiraling, into a tree. The odd markings of the Byakugan faded from his face as his eyes closed, and he lay slumped on his side near the roots.

"Get him! Ino, your up!" Shikimaru shouted as he pierced a clone with a kunai.

"Right!" her hands moved quickly, and she reached the last hand sign, but Naruto had already moved just in front of her. He lashed out with a brutal uppercut, and she was lifted into the air.

_Yes, Naruto! Good! Fight, destroy them! They will kill you!_

"Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikimaru cried, and amidst the sea of Naruto's, the stream of shadow crept towards the orange-clad ninja. His movements stopped, as did his clones. "I've got him! Kiba, Temari! Grab him!"

"Right!" they said in unison as they moved closer to the target.

"Quickly, I can only hold them all for a little bit – Wait, he's not trapped!" Naruto grinned as Temari reached out to grab his shoulder. He dropped to one foot and spun, kicking Temari off her feet. As he completed his spin and faced towards Temari again, he hopped forward quickly and kicked Temari's back, forcing her higher into the air.

"Damnit! Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted, and he and Akamaru resumed their rapid spinning, both charging at Naruto in a pincer movement. Naruto stood the attack down, and as they neared him, he shot a hand out at each of them, stopping their movement completely. He then threw both at Temari, and the three thudded painfully into each other. Shikimaru looked on in disbelief as his team was taken down, one by one. Naruto calmly walked towards the exit of the village.

"Maybe you'll think again before you keep following me!" Naruto said as his clones dissipated and he leapt away.

"Damn, how is he that strong?" Kiba said angrily a few minutes later as he stood up.

"I think I can shed some light on it. Naruto and Gaara are not so different, in that they both have demons trapped inside them. When the bond between the two grows, they get stronger. That red chakra that surrounds him is the dead give away" Temari said as she brushed herself off.

"What happened? Did you find Naruto?" Sasuke shouted as he rushed into the village at top speed. Rock Lee zoomed in just after him, and was breathing heavily once he stopped.

"Sasuke, something unnatural fuels your speed! I have never seen anyone except my sensei run faster than me for so long!" Lee said as he continued panting.

"He found us, Sasuke." Shikimaru said lazily.

"What do you mean? Where is he?" Sasuke asked.

"He left…Poor Naruto, he must be so confused and scared!" Ino said as she rubbed her chin.

"Did he look scared when he hit you, and buried Neji in that tree?" Kiba shouted.

"There is no reason to get mad. I'm fine." Neji said as he and Shino walked from the forest, Shino supporting Neji. "It's alright, Shino, thank you. He caught us off guard, it won't happen again."

"Either way, we are going to need a plan." Shikimaru muttered as he dropped into his familiar thinking pose, with his thumbs and fingers touching, his eyes closed, squatting close to the ground.

"I don't have time for this! I have to stop him!" Sasuke shouted as he ran out of the village. The others sighed and quickly followed suit.

_That was brilliant, Naruto! The Hyuga boy crumpled like rice paper, and the others quivered in fear against your army of clones! I'm so proud of how far you've come in such a short time. That shadow-manipulator thought he had you, but that was ingenious of you, hovering just barely above the ground to avoid the technique. We need to prepare for our next battle. I know just the place, where we can craft the location to our advantage. _The fox thought as it congratulated Naruto. It began to restore Naruto's badly depleted chakra, and almost laughed in excitement. He had been so bored in the boy's body, when the boy was such a do-gooder. Now that he was under the fox's thumb, and soon, under the master's thumb, Kyuubi would be bored no longer.

_What are you so happy about? _Naruto said as he stopped running.

_Just, how perfect my plan is, Naruto. Do not trouble yourself with such things. _The fox would have to contain it's glee, and it resumed restoring the boy's chakra.

_Alright, let's go. _Naruto said, and began running again.

"Itachi, the boy didn't even receive a scratch in the battle." Kisame said from the cover of the woods surrounding the village.

"I know, Kisame. I was watching. Perhaps you were right, and capturing him sooner is better than later. We did agree, however, to wait some time before capturing him." Uchiha Itachi said with a bored look on his face. "We should go, before you do something foolish" He silently turned and walked away, and Kisame scoffed, but followed


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter III: Confrontation

Chapter III: Confrontation

"Shikimaru, there are two more behind us now, but much stronger than any of us here" Neji said quietly as he ran next to Shikimaru.

"Can you identify them?" Shikimaru asked.

"I cannot. I will tell you more, when I have more to tell"

"Probably someone to bring back Sasuke" Temari said with a superior grin, making no attempt to be quiet. "Don't any of you leaf shinobi do what your told when your injured?"

"Not when there are comrades in trouble, we don't" Shikimaru retorted, almost angrily. Ino gave Temari an uppity look as she stuck out her tongue. The group came to a bridge crossing a wide ravine. Neji took the first steps on, and deemed it safe. Lee followed, then Shikimaru, Ino, and Shino, with Temari, Sasuke, and Kiba bringing up the rear. Naruto appeared at the end of the bridge, holding two kunai, and he swung out at the rope supports of the bridge. Neji and Lee took off running and attacked him, but too late, and the bridge began to fall. Sasuke and Kiba leapt quickly back, landing on the cliff. Temari and Shino almost made it, except four clones jumped over Sasuke and Kiba to knock the two off the cliff. Shino and Temari took an awkward tumble off the cliff, but managed to pull the clones over with them. They began an awkward aerial combat, with Temari desperately trying to get her fan under her. Shikimaru and Ino barely managed to grab onto the rope bridge, and they hung precariously while Neji and Lee popped the clone above them. Kiba turned to see Naruto with a blank look on his face.

"Sasuke?" Naruto said, and Kiba was already in his face.

"Bringing you back conscious isn't an option anymore, pal!" Kiba shouted as he landed a heavy blow into Naruto's jaw. Naruto rolled end over end a few times, and then slowly climbed to his feet. Kiba jumped at him again, while Naruto remained staring at Sasuke.

_Naruto, defend yourself! Kiba intends to kill you! _And with that, Naruto seemed to wake up as Kiba kicked out with his right leg. Naruto held just one arm out to block, and Kiba flipped backwards from the orange-clad ninja.

"Naruto, stop! We just want to bring you back to the village!" Sasuke said loudly.

"Forget it, Sasuke! He just tossed my friends off a cliff! He's dead meat!" Kiba shouted as Akamaru landed next to him, and transformed into a clone of Kiba. "Fang over fang!" Kiba hollered as he and Akamaru formed the two very familiar spinning vortexes of natural blades. They rocketed towards Naruto, who formed the hand signs to summon a single clone to his side. Naruto wordlessly formed the ball of chakra in his right hand while the clone began to rapidly spin it. He waited till the instant before impact, and just as the two cyclones nearly converged upon him, he shot out his arm, ducked his head, and shouted.

"Rasengan!" and for a brief moment, Kiba and Akamaru paused completely in midair as the attack's spin counteracted their own. Kiba's eyes were full of disbelief as he and Akamaru were jettisoned into the woods on either side. Loud crashing of timbers and trees were heard as they tumbled their way dangerously into the forest.

"Naruto, what did you do?" Sasuke shouted.

_You told me he was dead! _Naruto screamed into his head.

_Naruto, I was correct in my assessment. There are certain jutsu that are known by a select few, that can return the dead to life. One must have been used on Sasuke, and now he is hungry for vengeance! Strike him down! _The fox rapidly tried to cover its own lie, worried that if Naruto discovered his treachery, his fun would be over.

"He was attacking me, I defended myself!" Naruto shouted back. The fox knew he was lucky, and had convinced Naruto, or at least bought himself some time to do so.

"You could have avoided, Naruto! Ducked, leapt to the side, or above! Anything! Kiba is probably unconscious, or worse, not to mention that you threw your best friends down a ravine! What's wrong with you?" Sasuke demanded.

"You won't bring me back to the village Sasuke. I won't go back"

"You've got one chance to drop this, Naruto! One chance, and I won't beat you to a pulp." Sasuke said as he moved closer to Naruto, grabbing his vest and pinning him to a tree.

_Naruto, he will try to draw you into a false sense of security with words of peace and forgiveness, and then he will take his revenge! Remember what happened the last time you met! He said he was going to kill you! What makes this time any different? Remember our new ninja way, 'By Any Means Necessary'! _The fox began to weave its web of deception deeper, and Naruto's eyes grew cold and angry.

"By any means necessary" Naruto muttered.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked.

"By any means necessary, Sasuke." This time he said it louder. "I'm going to defeat you, by any means necessary!"

"Fine then! Have it your way!" Sasuke lashed out with his free hand, and Naruto caught it. He returned the favor to Sasuke's stomach, and Sasuke moved a few steps back in pain. Naruto stood firm, and Sasuke stepped back. Sasuke dropped his right arm straight down, and grasped it with his left hand. The too familiar chirping was heard all around, and Naruto just stared. "Chidori…" Sasuke hissed, and activated his sharingan. He began to run at Naruto, and again, Naruto stood there.

"What are you doing, idiot? Use your Rasengan!" Sasuke yelled as he neared his target.

"The last time I did that, it almost killed me. I won't make that mistake twice!" Naruto said. Once again he waited till the last minute, then he nimbly jumped into the air, flipped upside down, and put his hand on Sasuke's head. He did a one hundred eighty degree turn, and then lashed out with his right foot, connecting with the back of Sasuke's head. Sasuke fell forward and tumbled, and the Chidori faded. He stood back up, nursing his skull.

"Naruto…" Sasuke growled angrily. He began to run in circles around Naruto at blinding speed. Suddenly he swung out with his left leg, and Naruto ducked. Naruto turned around low, then shot his hand up for an uppercut to Sasuke's jaw. Sasuke caught it with both his hands, using Naruto's fist to spin in midair. He jumped away, landed behind Naruto, and shot out with a backhand. Naruto brought his arms in front of his head to block, and just before contact, Sasuke dropped to his right side, and shot his leg under Naruto's guard, hitting him in the jaw and vaulting him into the air. "You might remember this one" Sasuke said as he leapt to a tree, then jumped off that, laying in the air under Naruto, shadowing his flight. Sasuke kicked with his left leg, hitting Naruto's ribs hard. He rolled under Naruto in mid-flight, then backhanded Naruto's chest from the other side. As Naruto turned earthward, Sasuke rolled again, now above Naruto. He fell with him, and he threw a wide punch towards Naruto's jaw. He connected again, and as Naruto neared the ground, Sasuke timed his last attack accordingly. Just as Naruto's back hit the ground, so did Sasuke's foot connect with Naruto's stomach, making the brutal impact that much worse. "Lion's barrage!" Sasuke shouted as Naruto coughed blood. Sasuke landed a few feet away, and then his eyes widened in horror as Naruto dissipated into smoke. "What? No!" Sasuke said as he swiveled around to find Naruto. Naruto and four clones descended from above Sasuke, and Sasuke brought his arms up to block. The four clones dissipated, and Naruto landed an axe-kick onto Sasuke's arms. Sasuke's feet sunk an inch or two into the ground with the impact, and Naruto flipped nimbly away.

_Excellent, Naruto! Now finish him!_

"Kyuubi" Naruto said out loud.

_Yes, Naruto?_

"Shut up" He said as he rushed at Sasuke once again. Sasuke turned to face him, to see Naruto sheath himself in red chakra. The two entered a brutal hand-to-hand combat with vigor unmatched by most genin. They slugged one another unmercifully for some time, neither giving any ground.

Neji and Lee finally managed to pull Shikimaru and Ino up from the rope bridge. It had been a long haul, but they were safe.

"Shikimaru, I can sense Sasuke and Naruto. Their power is unreal."

"Yeah, those boys are not normal, that much is for sure." Ino said.

"As much as I love this view, I'd sure appreciate someone pulling us up. I can't hold on forever." Temari's voice was heard from the ravine, and they rushed to see what the problem was. A kunai knife was embedded fully into the wall of stone, and a thin line, glowing blue, was tied to it, and Temari's clothing. Shino was holding on to her legs precariously, and the four on top rushed to pull them up.

"Well, since Temari is here, we can use her fan to get to the other side, and help them out" Shikimaru said hopefully.

"No luck…My fan ripped in the fall, otherwise I'd have used it to get back up."

"Damn" Shikimaru muttered. "So all we can do is watch, then." He sighed and sat down in his thinking pose. _What a drag…_

Naruto and Sasuke continued their brawl without a single jutsu. They paused briefly, then rushed back in towards each other, and each landed a solid blow to the others head. They both tumbled backwards, and stopped, breathing heavily. Naruto's left eye was cut, and badly swollen, almost to the point where he couldn't see. Sasuke's right arm, his Chidori arm, was hanging limply at his side.

_Naruto, we must leave. Sasuke may be weak, and we could certainly finish him off now, but the others will be here soon, I'm sure of it! _ Naruto panted as he lay on his back, propped up on his elbows. He slowly climbed to his feet, and began slowly limping into the forest. _The master will heal you! He will train you as well, of that I am certain. _As Naruto slowly walked away, Sasuke attempted to climb to his feet, but with one arm, and in his beaten state, he couldn't manage it. He clenched his left fist and pounded the ground, and screamed in anger, then pain. His scream had hurt his lungs, which were not in good shape either.

_So wait…you have, a master? _Naruto thought as he trodded through the forest, some hour or more later.

_Yes, indeed, Naruto. You recall how the Sannin, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade can each summon a great beast?_

_Yeah?_

_Well, I am not so different from their pets, though I am trapped in your body. My master will be happy to see me, I'm sure. It has been so very long…_

_Yeah, we can… _Naruto cringed in pain. _Go see him. Sure, I just need to stop a moment. _Naruto stopped walking, and then thudded into a tree with his shoulder. _Ok, I just need to lie down…just a minute. _He slid down the tree and sat, leaning against it. His eyes closed and snores escaped his nose.

_Very good, Naruto. Rest, and I will mask our presence from that wretched Hyuga boy. _

"I hope we aren't too late. I can sense Sasuke, barely, and the others, but not Naruto." Kakashi said as he bolted through the forest, Jiraiya on his left side.

"I'm sure they're fine. They are some powerful kids" Jiraiya commented, the clacked of his sandals sounding through the trees.

"How did you convince Lady Hokage to let us come after them, again?"

"Well, I have a way with women, of course" Jiraiya grinned widely, and Kakashi shook his head, and rolled his eyes. Jiraiya didn't see the rolling eyes, mostly due to the mask on Kakashi's face, which concealed the only eye he would've seen anyway, and so Jiraiya retained his smug grin. In actuality, he had simply promised a month of uninterrupted service to the village, if he and Kakashi were allowed to go on this one mission.

They burst into the clearing and saw Sasuke lying on the ground amidst the broken earth.

"Why can't I win?" Sasuke said clearly. "I don't understand, I should be stronger!" he shouted, and Kakashi knelt over him. Jiraiya went and pulled Kiba out of the woods.

"I take it you lost, then?" Kakashi said softly.

"No, I didn't lose…because he didn't win. It was-" Sasuke winced in pain. "A tie"

"I see…Well, hold on a moment. I figured someone might need it, so I brought along this medicine. It won't fix your arm, but I'm sure you'll feel a lot better." He pulled a clear bottle out of one of his many pockets, and poured the clear liquid down Sasuke's throat. "How do you feel now?" he asked.

"I'm fine…get off me" Sasuke said as he stood up. "The others are over there, across the ravine" He mentioned as he pointed. "I don't know where Naruto went".

"Well, I can handle that". Jiraiya said as he returned with Kiba and Akamaru.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked.

"Me? Who am I?" Jiraiya asked, shocked. "I apologize, where are my manners?" He began to take a deep breath. "I am the Toad Sage of the Mountains, the one, the only, Master Ji-rai-ya!" He said, emphasizing each syllable of his name as he adopted his introductory pose, one arm held straight forward, the other straight back. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and walked away; Jiraiya sighed. He bit each thumb, and then dropped them to the earth. Two massive toads appeared, and they nodded at Jiraiya immediately, and began carrying the genin back across the ravine.

A few hours later, a small camp had been set up, and the genin were sound asleep. A fire burned in the center of the camp, and the two seasoned ninja stared into the fire.

"Naruto must be stronger than I thought, if he really beat all of them," Kakashi said, glaring at the fire.

"It's my fault" Jiraiya said.

"What?" Kakashi replied, his eyes moving from the fire.

"I trained him too well, and I taught him the Rasengan. It's a powerful technique. The fourth Hokage used that Jutsu, you know" Kakashi rolled his eyes, and resumed staring at the fire.

"So, I hear you like my book" Jiraiya said with a small laugh. Kakashi stood up and went into a tent, and snoring was heard shortly after. Jiraiya sighed, and went to sleep himself.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter IV: The Dragon Lord

Chapter IV: The Dragon Lord

_Naruto, it is not far now. His home is in a mountain, just outside the Land of Fire! _The fox said happily, as he got closer to his old master.

_Alright…I think I'll make it. _Naruto's injuries were causing him clear discomfort, and he still limped. His eye was less swollen, and it was open, but he couldn't see clearly.

_Don't worry, you will feel much better when we reach Master Sutaru._

_Yeah…Just a bit further, I'll get there. No worries._

"Guys, Shino is gone!" Ino shouted, and everyone woke up suddenly.

"What?" Kiba asked.

"He's gone, he left a note, but all of his things are gone!"

"What does the note say?" Kakashi asked sleepily.

"It says 'Good morning everyone, I apologize for not properly saying goodbye, but an insect messenger came here last night from the Abarame clan. There has been an emergency, and I had to leave. My apologies – Shino'" Ino read out loud.

"What a jerk! I'm pounding him when we get back, just like I'm going to pound Naruto for what he did to Akamaru!"

"Calm down, Kiba. Being mad at Naruto isn't going to get you anywhere." Shikimaru said calmly. "Let's just pick up our things, and we can start tracking him again. Sasuke said he was pretty messed up, so he couldn't have gotten far" Shikimaru commented as he began cleaning his things up.

"I agree with Shikimaru. The sooner we get going, the sooner we will be home once again" Neji said.

The camp was quickly cleaned up, and then Kiba and Akamaru found Naruto's scent. The group followed quickly, hoping to catch him soon.

_Here, Naruto! We have arrived! _The fox referred to a large mountain, which had a small path leading up it. Storm clouds wreathed the peak.

_Sure doesn't look too inviting. Is he home? _Naruto asked as he walked up the path.

_Yes, I can sense him! It has been so long, and yet I still remember his chakra. It has changed…that is quite odd. _They continued their ascent, and found themselves soon at a large plateau. At the center was a pool of lava, and surprisingly enough, a small stream of water flowed around one side. A tiny wooden hut was the only structure visible, and Naruto approached slowly, though more due to his injuries than from caution.

"Who dares intrude upon my mountain?" a booming voice came from the shack, and a human figure, draped in a pure white wolf fur cloak stood out. The wolf's jaws hung over his face, masking his features. The fox forced Naruto to become sheathed in the red chakra. Naruto winced as his muscles involuntarily tensed, but gritted his teeth through it. "Ah, Kyuubi. It has been so very long. Come, talk with me," the man said as he waved a hand. The fox's image was drawn from the chakra around Naruto, and it sat obediently at the man's feet. "How is it you became trapped in this boy's body?" he asked.

"One of the Leaf Village's Hokage trapped me there by sacrificing himself" Kyuubi responded.

"Ah, I see. And I assume you want me to set you free?" The man questioned as he lowered his hood. He was not old, but not young. His hair was mostly white, and his eyes had a powerful intensity. His skin was pale, but from what was visible now of his neck and torso, he was well muscled.

"Actually, no. I have recently grown fond of my captivity. This boy – His name is Naruto, Master. This boy has recently become a rogue ninja from his hometown. I humbly ask that you would heal, and train him."

"Well, a favor for an old friend is hard to refuse", He said as he stood up slowly. "However, I have no need of your services, Kyuubi. I have…new pets"

"What?" The fox asked, shocked. The fox's voice regained its composure. "What do you mean, Master?"

"You've been gone over a decade, and I live alone. I decided I needed new companions." He stood over the pool of lava and watched the magma bubble.

"Perhaps you could humbly take on this boy as your apprentice. He has already been trained briefly, by one of the Leaf Village's Sannin, the Master Jiraiya."

"Hah!" He scoffed. "Sannin? Legendary ninja, you say? Pathetic. I take pity upon you, Kyuubi, and I will train the boy. He will become strong, that I promise you." He lifted his wolf jaws above his head once again. "But, what is this? We have a number of new visitors…One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Oh, and two are quite powerful," he remarked. "Go, lie in the shack. I will tend your wounds when I have dealt with these."

"Master Sutaru, these ninja are tracking the boy. They are enemy, and not to be trusted," The fox's image said quietly.

"Very well, we shall see how Legendary this sannin really is."

The group walked slowly up the mountain pass they had tracked Naruto to.

"Jiraiya…" Kakashi said softly.

"You sense it too?" Jiraiya replied. "Kids, stay here. There is no sense in you getting hurt. Someone is up there, and they are likely as powerful as either of us" The children nodded and they stood to wait. Sasuke scowled and Shikimaru resumed his thinking posture. The two adult ninja walked slowly up the mountainside, slightly worried about what lay ahead.

"You are intruders in my home. I do not take kindly to intruders" Sutaru said angrily.

"I apologize, we are but trackers, and we followed a small boy's tracks up this way. Have you seen him?" Jiraiya asked.

"The orange-clad buffoon? Yes, I saw him. And I didn't take kindly to his…intrusion."

"What are you saying?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm saying that the boy is no longer among the living. I killed him for intruding. I will likely do the same to you"

"You didn't kill Naruto, I can sense him. He's in that shack. And I highly doubt that you will be killing both of us," Jiraiya said.

"Well then, care to put that to the test, Master Jiraiya?"

"I see you've heard of me". Jiraiya replied.

"Yes, of course. You are one of the Leaf Village's Legendary Sannin."

"This is true. And who are you?"

"If you survive my first attack, then I will grant you the privilege of knowing my name, though I highly doubt you will."

"What do you think, Kakashi?" Jiraiya said as he started removing excess equipment.

"I don't know…I wonder if he's bluffing?" Kakashi said as he moved his mask, revealing his sharingan.

"Hmmm, interesting! One of your eyes holds the sharingan, the bloodline trait of the Uchiha Clan. They were all wiped out, save two, were they not?" Sutaru said as he stood motionless.

"Yes, that's right. An old friend gave it to me, as a gift." Kakashi said. "Let's just do this!" Kakashi shouted as the storm around them increased in intensity, and rain began to fall. Kakashi whispered to Jiraiya "Well, do we size him up, or go all out right from the get go?"

"We need to get Naruto…the quicker this ends, the less chance of him getting hurt. All out" Jiraiya whispered back.

"Alright. Let's do it" Kakashi held his right arm straight down and summoned the Lightning Blade to his palm, and began walking towards Sutaru.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya and Sutaru cried, both biting their thumbs and palming the earth. A crack of thunder and a bolt of lightning illuminated the plateau, and two giants had appeared.

"Jiraiya, why did you call me here?" Gamabunta asked angrily.

"Just need your help here for a minute, big guy. Naruto is in trouble, and this guy isn't playing around"

"I can see that" Gamabunta said calmly as he saw Sutaru's own summon. Before him stood a beast that matched him in size. It was massive, with dull tan scales, and massive wings. A long, thick neck ended in a massive head, with rows of bright white fangs. It had two long, bony protrusions extending straight back from just behind its eyes. It stood on all four legs, walking powerfully back and forth behind Sutaru, staring at the massive toad.

"Maunten! Welcome back." Sutaru said with a laugh.

"Sutaru…Why have you summoned me, and who are these…rabble?" The massive dragon's voice was deep and bellowing, and it spoke slowly. Kakashi was in full sprint, heading straight for Sutaru.

"Sutaru…Kakashi, I think we might have more than we bargained for!" Jiraiya yelled above the din of the storm.

"What are you talking about?" Kakashi yelled back, barely heard over the humming of the Lightning Blade, the storm, and Maunten's voice.

"The elder toad's told me about him! He's very dangerous!" Jiraiya shouted.

"Sutaru…The Dragon Lord!" Gamabunta said as he drew his sword. Maunten roared in response. Jiraiya dug his heels in as the massive gust of air released by the dragon nearly knocked him over. Kakashi had nearly reached Sutaru when the draped man spoke again.

"Dragon Earthquake Jutsu!" he hollered as he formed several hand signs, dropped to one knee and pounded the ground. Kakashi rolled to the side quickly as a massive dragonhead burst from the earth, threatening to devour him. The dragon paused briefly, and then dove straight for Kakashi. Kakashi leapt high in the air to avoid the attack, landing on the dragon's head. He leapt off, angling his fall towards Sutaro, and the dragonhead plunged into the earth and disappeared. Kakashi's descent was aiming straight at Sutaru, and impact seemed imminent.

Gamabunta rushed at Maunten, sword drawn. He leapt up and came back down heavily, and the dragon reared onto its hind legs and grabbed Gamabunta's arms, stopping the attack. Gamabunta spewed oil onto Maunten's face, and he roared in irritation.

"What trickery is this?" Maunten roared. Gamabunta reared back with the blade, breaking Maunten's grip on his arms, and swung in sideways. Maunten brought both his wings in front of his body, using them as a shield, and the sound of steel on rock rang out. Jiraiya ran towards the beast and formed a dozen hand signs in an instant.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" Jiraiya called out, and a dense swamp appeared under Maunten, and he shifted slightly, sinking into the mire.

"Sutaru, call forth Denkou to occupy this…Toad Sage!" Maunten roared as he whipped his wings back, throwing Gamabunta onto his two hinds legs precariously.

"Kakashi! He's going to summon another!" Jiraiya shouted. "Stop him!"

"I'm on it!" Kakashi replied, and the lightning in his hand grew twice in size. He was less than 20 feet away and above Sutaru when the dragonhead resurfaced between them. Kakashi struck out with his hand and hit the dragon's mouth. It had little to no effect, to Kakashi's surprise.

"Hah! Your puny 'Lightning Blade' has no effect against my Earthquake Jutsu!" Sutaru tore through several hand signs, and touched the earth once again. "Summoning Jutsu!" He cried, and the thunder and lightning picked up in volume and intensity. A bolt of lightning cut across the sky in an odd pattern, and it was then that they realized it was no bolt of lightning. A dragon of gold and yellow scales caused the very air around him to crackle with electricity. He was almost 50 feet long, with two large wings extending outward at his shoulder. With each flap of his wings lightning crashed, and with each roar thunder boomed.

Kakashi used the hand signs as if from memory, and called out "Dragon Earthquake Jutsu!"

"Ahah! So this is the power of Kakashi the Copy-cat!" Sutaru cried out. Kakashi's own massive earthen head popped from the ground, and battled back and forth with Sutaru's.

"I hope that wasn't your best trick, Sutaru!" Kakashi cried out, and even from just 15 feet away, his voice was nearly lost.

"Maunten, my brother! I will deal with this 'Toad Sage'!" The dragon that was referred to as Denkou cried out. He loosed a bolt of lightning from his mouth, and Jiraiya whipped his hair around to defend. The bolt reflected off Jiraiya's hair and bounced harmlessly into the storm.

"Hardly, Kakashi! I'm just getting warmed up!" Sutaru cried, and he maneuvered through several more gestures. "Dragon Thunderstorm Jutsu!" At his words, thousands of smaller versions of Denkou tore across the sky, loosing their own bolts of lightning. Jiraiya covered himself with his hair once more, Maunten with his wings, and Kakashi used his speed to evade.

"That one isn't worth copying!" Kakashi cried as he hurled a kunai directly at Sutaru.

"Oh, come now Kakashi, one little Kunai?" Sutaru raised his hand and deflected. "If my thunderstorm isn't good enough for you, perhaps I should bring the whole family together?"

"Jiraiya, what is he talking about?"

"Kakashi, this may be the end of our game. I can't believe he can have two summons this strong and threaten more!"

"Jiraiya, you know what you must do! Call upon the elder toads!" Gamabunta cried out as he leapt towards Maunten once more. He swung downward, and despite Maunten catching the blow on his wings, he sunk downward into the swamp beneath him. He was now into the swamp up to his thigh on his hind legs, and a good portion of his tail was stuck as well.

"Very well! Summoning Jutsu!" Jiraiya called out as he bit both thumbs, and struck the earth twice. Two toads with white beards appeared next to him, and he held both hands wide. Each toad clasped a single hand of his, and a dense amount of chakra passed through from the toads into Jiraiya. His hair began to grow, and he took on many toad like qualities, such as webbed hands, warts, and other such accessories.

"Sutaru, Maunten will not hold the toad king for long. Summon our brothers and sister!" Denkou cried as he loosed a bolt of lightning at the transforming Toad Sage. His hair moved of it's own volition as it blocked the bolt of lightning.

"The Toad Sage of the Mountains, Master Jiraiya!" he called as he assumed what he had come to call "Sage Mode". He used his frog-like hind legs to crouch, and then catapult himself toward Denkou. He reached out with one hand, and Denkou evaded narrowly.

"Hah, Toad Sage! You cannot harm me while you are bound to the earth!" Denkou roared. At this, Jiraiya spewed a massive amount of oil all over Denkou. The dragon's movements grew sluggish, and he lost some altitude.

Kakashi ran at Sutaru once more, and his arm became sheathed in the Lightning Blade. He shot a quick jab at Sutaru, who back stepped to evade. At this, Kakashi's other hand, and both feet buzzed with the Lightning Blade as well, and he began slicing rapidly towards Sutaru.

"Very nice, Copycat! However, I grow tired of this foolishness! Dragon Tremor Jutsu!" he yelled as he formed the signs, and four small earthen dragons rose from the ground, each biting one of Kakashi's limbs. His jutsu ended, Kakashi stood motionless.

Gamabunta hopped quickly around Maunten, bashing him further into the ooze. After a short time, Maunten's arms and wings became trapped in the swamp, and it was over. Gamabunta leapt far back, then straight forward as he drove his mighty sword into Maunten's chest.

"Sutaru…My time here is at an end!" Maunten cried, and he crumbled into thousands of boulders, which fell into the swamp. Jiraiya fell to the ground and leapt once more. This time, when he neared the slower Denkou with ease, he let lose a stream of fire, lighting the oil coating the dragon in a blaze of light.

"Sutaru, I too must leave this place!" Denkou cried as he burst into a mighty thunderclap.

"Very well, you have irritated me greatly, and for that, I will give you a glorious death. You will now suffer for your insults! Go-Doragon Souken! Five Dragon Summoning Jutsu!" he drew a scroll from his back and arched it into the air around him. He bit deeply into his palm, and blood streamed from his hand. His hand followed the arch his scroll had made, splashing the red liquid onto the paper. Kakashi could only stand and watch, trapped to the ground, as the mountain around him shook.

"Kakashi…This is bad! He actually needs the scroll for this one…" Jiraiya shouted.

Jiraiya's swamp dissipated, and Maunten rose once more. A giant thunderclap rang from the sky, and Denkou was reborn. From the pool of lava at the center of the plateau, a streak of flame, similar in shape to Denkou, shot into the sky. This dragon was crimson red, its pupil's embers in themselves, and his wings seemed to be made from flame. A swirling vortex was conjured from the small stream near him, and another, nearly 100 feet long and deep blue, was summoned. Its docile eyes belied its imminent ferocity, and this long, wingless dragon floated effortlessly through the air. The final to be summoned appeared from thin air, and it was nearly transparent, and would have been invisible against the sky if it were not for the dark storm clouds around it. Its clear pupils gave it the image of being blind, but Kakashi and Jiraiya had clear doubts about that trait's validity. The dragons arranged behind Sutaru, Maunten behind him, and the other four forming a circle around him. "Yes…they have all come! That is good! Kouen, of flame, Kazen, of air, Maunten of Earth, Denkou of Lightning, and Kaiyou of water! Devour these two insects!"

"It shall be done" the dragons said in unison, and at that point, Jiraiya and Kakashi knew it was time to go. Jiraiya ran to Kakashi and burst the tiny earthen dragons to pieces.

"Kakashi, we lost this one. It's time to go. There isn't anything we can do for Naruto right now" Kakashi nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your help, Toad King, and to you as well, elder toads!" Gamabunta nodded, as did the elder toads, and they disappeared. "Toad Mouth Trap!" Jiraiya shouted, and just as the five dragons unleashed their attacks, the esophagus of a great toad surrounded Jiraiya and Kakashi, and it led straight down the mountain. Jiraiya and Kakashi ran down the odd tunnel, and ushered the genin ahead of them.

"What happened up there?" Shikimaru asked.

"Apparently, Naruto has a powerful new friend!" Jiraiya said loudly.

"Yes, and he is quite probably stronger than any of the three sannin" Kakashi remarked. Shikimaru just blinked, and the others ran.


	6. Chapter 5

Alright

Alright! This is a really long chapter, to make up for not posting at my original speed. I graduated, my cousin graduated, went to a party, you get the idea. I've been busy. Enjoy!

"Yeah, thanks. That feels much better." Naruto's eyes were full and clear, and he rotated his shoulder, stretching extensively.

"I would imagine so. I have never seen a wound on a living person Kaiyou could not heal. She is fearsome as an opponent, but perhaps more powerful as a healer." Sutaru said as he stood over the magma pool. The magnificent blue dragon slid through the air gently and lazily. She would make a slow pass towards Sutaru, and he would casually rub the great dragon's muzzle. She took up a great deal of space, as long as she was, but was not more than five or six feet wide. "Kaiyou is much gentler than her brothers, when the time allows" Sutaru commented.

"My brothers are…barbaric, living for the hunt, savoring the kill. I disdain fighting, but sadly it is necessary in some situations." Kaiyou said gently, in her soft, delicate voice.

"Yes, and that is why they are so useful, though none of them care to stay around after the battle is done. Kaiyou is my most faithful companion, much more so than any of her brothers, or her predecessor" Sutaru glared briefly at Kyuubi's image.

"Master, there was nothing I could have done. The fourth Hokage of the leaf village was incredibly powerful, having been trained by Master Jiraiya and the third Hokage. He used a forbidden Jutsu, similar to the Jutsu Sarutobi used to rob Orochimaru of his arms". Kyuubi said back, slightly angry.

"These 'Sannin' irritate me. Jiraiya, however powerful, is a buffoon, gallivanting after women more than training. Tsunade, too, is foolish; she dishonors her great legacy with her gambling. Orochimaru and I once shared a common goal, and worked together. I made him leave. He…coveted Kaiyou and Kazen, believing them to be more snake-like than dragons. His attempted insolence was unforgivable."

"Sutaru-" Naruto began.

"Master Sutaru to you, boy! If I am to train you and transform you from the pathetic cretin you are into someone worthy of worship, then you will obey me, and Master is what you will call me!" Sutaru turned angrily to Naruto.

"Sheesh…" Naruto said under his breath. "Sorry, Su…Master Sutaru."

"Good. Now what is it you wanted to ask?" Sutaru said as his attention returned to the magma pool.

"Oh, right. I was wondering…What goal did you share with Orochimaru?" Naruto asked, having almost forgotten his question.

"Immortality", Sutari said without any emotion or movement.

"You want to live forever?" Naruto asked.

"Is there a grander dream? Imagine the power one could have, should they live for a hundred years, or a millennia." Sutaru smiled slightly at the thought. "It would be enough…Enough to bring this world to its knees"

"And Orochimaru wants that?" Naruto questioned further.

"Yes, though his methods are…Unsavory. He wishes to take control of another human's body, and use it as a vessel. It is likely what he wanted with your Uchiha friend".

"I see. How would you achieve immortality?" Naruto asked, seeming more interested as time went on.

"Through these dragons. They are immortal, and I will learn how they are immortal" Sutaru said, looking to Kaiyou.

"Why don't you just tell him?" Naruto directed his question to Kaiyou.

"Because I do not know. My immortality was instilled to me through genetic inheritance. My father was the immortal, and he passed it to his offspring." Kaiyou replied.

"Your father? He must be even more powerful than you or your brothers!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, he is. Daiichi-Goteishoku is my father's name, and I have not seem him for some centuries." Kaiyou said remorsefully.

"Maybe he's dead" Naruto said.

"Maybe your missing the point of being Immortal, boy. He can't die of old age, and there has never been, or ever will be, a being that could destroy him."

"How do you know that no one could have been powerful enough?"

"BECAUSE HE IS AS OLD AS THIS WRETCHED WORLD!" Sutaru yelled. "Do not belittle my goals, boy, or you will be cast out from this place too, as you were your own village"

"Sorry, Master Sutaru" Naruto said sadly.

"His power is that of the five elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Water. When a ninja uses a jutsu of any of those types, he draws power from Daiichi. He is the font of power that ninja have been unknowingly wielding for centuries. If that power can be drawn upon, he is alive, and he can be communicated with. Thus far, I have not been able to do so, but I will get there. I have more time than most, even if I am not immortal"

"Why do you have more time?" Naruto asked.

"Because of my link with these dragons. Kaiyou is a great healer, she helps to slow down the effects of old age, and Kazen has his uses as well. When the body grows older, it oxidizes, deteriorating. Kazen can control air, and thus, oxygen. He can slow the aging process in itself."

"Master Sutaru, this stuff is cool, but I'd like to get to training! That's why I'm here!"

"Settle, boy. If that is what you wish, then train you I will. Perhaps someday you will be strong enough to be of use to me, in my search." Sutaru walked towards his hut. "You already know a summoning jutsu, correct?" Sutaru asked without looking at Naruto.

"Yeah! I can summon the toads, like Gamabunta!" Naruto said proudly.

"Good. You will never use that technique again." Naruto's look changed from pride to confusion. "Maunten's defeat at the hands of that overgrown swamp feeder dictates a great hatred between the dragons and that toad, and so if you are to summon a dragon, you can never summon another toad again." Sutaru said as he walked out of the hut with a number of scrolls.

"I'm going to learn to summon a dragon? Awesome…" Naruto watched as Sutaru unraveled a selected scroll. It had clouds and wind drawn across it, and it had Kazen's name scrawled in a flowing type, written in red liquid.

"Here, I'm certain you know what to do." Sutaru moved the scroll towards Naruto, taking a small blade from his pocket. "Use this." He handed Naruto the blade, and Naruto nodded. Naruto pricked his finger with the blade, and then wrote his name neatly on the scroll. There was only one name before his, Sutaru's.

"Good. You are bound to the first of the five you will learn to summon. Kazen is powerful, he will teach you much. His children will serve you well in battle."

"Cool…Why did you choose Kazen?" Naruto asked.

"Kazen is more docile than his brothers, and will be less likely to kill you for summoning him. Also, Kyuubi told me of a technique you had, the Rasengan. Kazen's primary weapon is similar to that, he breathes those out in quick procession, and with deadly accuracy." Sutaru sighed deeply. "For today, there are a few more things I will teach you. I have created two jutsu to associate with each dragon. The first I will teach you, is a powerful technique, but not as powerful as the second. The second can only be used when the dragon it represents is present."

"Wow, so you'll teach me air techniques?" Naruto questioned. "What are they called?"

"Patience. First, you must successfully summon a child of Kazen. Kyuubi, do not help him" he glared at the fox. "The hand signs are as follows." He went through several of the hand signs, and Naruto watched closely. "Now, try."

"Alright, here goes nothing! Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto cried out, piercing his thumb and thrusting it to the ground. A strong breeze blew through the mountain, and a dragon, identical in every way, other than size, to Kazen appeared. This dragon was less than five feet long.

"Kazen-Karui, as I expected." Saruto sighed. He held his hand out, and the infantile dragon floated over. It wrapped around his hand, and he closed his eyes. It vanished in a puff of smoke. "You need to summon something better than that to aid you in battle, or you will fall!" Sutaru said angrily. "Watch, fool." Sutaru closed his eyes, and even as he began the hand signs the wind picked up. He scratched his thumb on the wolf fang on his headdress, and touched the ground. Gale-force winds came and went in an instant, as did the nearly invisible Kazen. Almost as long as Kaiyen, Kazen was transparent and graceful. He slowed to a stop near Sutaru, and glared at Naruto with his pupil-less eyes.

"Sutaru, you have taught him how to summon me and my children?" Kazen asked in a thin whisper of a voice.

"Yes I did. I am training him. Perhaps someday he will be capable of summoning all five of you" Sutaru said smugly.

"Kouen would never agree, Sutaru, not unless the child could defeat him upon summoning. You know that. If you teach him to summon Kouen, he will die." Kazen said loud enough for Naruto to hear.

"And that is why we have started with you, and why Kouen will be last. Kouen will submit to the boy, in due time." Sutaru sighed as his hands crossed his chest. "Now, child, summon a dragon worthy of my presence!" Sutaru cried.

"Alright, I'll try again! Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto's thumb wound had closed quickly due to the fox, and he made another cut. He thrust his hand to the ground, and waited. The wind was significantly stronger, but no gale. The dragon, perhaps thirty or forty feet long, was a spectacle to behold, but was less than half the size of Kazen.

"Kazen-Shozan! Very good boy, he is Kazen's first-born child. Perhaps with a little aid, Kyuubi could help you summon Kazen himself! Kazen, take your child and leave. We will see if the child has what it takes!" Sutaru exclaimed. "Kyuubi, this time you are permitted to aid the boy. Give him all that you can, he will need it to summon Kazen. Go, boy. Try again." Sutaru watched with interest. Naruto was breathing heavily as it was. He doubted summoning Kazen would be possible at full strength, and summoning jutsu took a lot out of a person. Naruto formed the hand signs again. As he neared the last, he was sheathed in red chakra. He bit his thumb, and struck the ground. A strong, familiar wind blew through the mountain, and Kazen-Shozan returned. Sutaru shook his head. Well, your training will end here, unless this last trick works. Kyuubi, give it your all once again, and Naruto, this time I have an idea. You will draw blood as you would, but after that, I want you to create your Rasengan. Conjure it and drive it into the ground!" Sutaru said loudly.

"Got it…worth a shot!" Naruto created a single clone quickly, and drew blood from his hand. He went through the hand signs, and after the last one, he called for the Rasengan. It appeared in his hand, and the clone spun it into the technique. He thrust it quickly into the ground. The spiral pattern was typical of the Rasengan, and Naruto's blood moved into the cracks in the ground. The gale wind blew through the mountain, much more reckless and uncontrolled than when Sutaru had summoned, and Naruto's clone was thrown away. Kazen himself appeared next to Kazen-Shozan.

"Well done, Naruto. As is customary, now that you have successfully summoned me, you must perform a task of my choosing, to prove your worth."

"Alright! What do you want?"

"Two simple things I ask of you. First, use your Rasengan, and throw it. Throw it, and hit this spot, from thirty feet away" He inhaled slightly, and blasted a small ball of wind at a nearby boulder. His blast scored the boulder in that familiar pattern. "That is your target. Second, you must conjure one in either hand. I feel these tasks are difficult, but will be possible for your skill level. Summon me once more, when you can do these two things. Kazen-Shozan, come. We will leave." The two vanished once more, and the mountain pass was quiet. Kaiyou yawned, and closed her eyes.

"You are lucky, he could have asked you to fight him. Do not think the others, especially Kouen and Maunten, will be so lenient". Sutaru walked into his hut. For now, I will rest. Wake me when you are ready to learn your new jutsu, boy." Sutaru lay down in his hut, and closed his eyes. Kaiyou slid over to the small stream nearby, and disappeared. Kyuubi's image walked closer to Naruto, and then sat in front of him.

"I told you Master Sutaru was powerful, Naruto. He will train you well." Kyuubi said.

"Yeah. Right now, I'm tired. Summoning three times, and using the Rasengan in such a brief time…can take a lot out of me" Naruto slid into a nearby tree, and fell asleep. Kyuubi's image walked towards Naruto, and curled up at his feet, then slowly dissipated.

Naruto woke a few hours later, and nothing around him had changed. The dragon and the fox were both gone, and Sutaru was still asleep, it seemed. Naruto's dreams had been fitful again, he had dreamt of destruction of a great many lands, at the hands of the dragons. He was probably dreaming such strange things like that because he was so tired. Yeah, that had to be it. He wasn't a monster; he wouldn't destroy anyone's home. Or at least, that was what he desperately wanted to believe. Kyuubi said he had destroyed the village, and killed Sasuke, but he couldn't remember destroying that village, and he had fought Sasuke, who he was certainly no genjutsu. Either way, he had training to do, a lot of training. His first task was to throw the Rasengan, and accurately…throwing it at all would be tough. He sighed, and closed his eyes to concentrate. He summoned a clone, and began to form the Rasengan. The familiar ball spun furiously in his hand as the clone whipped the energy around. The clone stopped, and the Rasengan was done. That was the easy part. He reared back to throw, as he might throw a ball, and attempted to toss it. _Of course it isn't that easy…_He sighed, and tried again, without any luck. He tried to focus on keeping the Rasengan stationary, and slowly lowered his hand. The Rasengan followed his palm. He couldn't separate the energy from his palm, and that was the problem. This wouldn't be easy. He looked over at the marks Kazen had scored into the rock from such a distance. His breath was almost exactly a Rasengan, but it seemed more powerful.

_It is infused with the might of wind, Naruto. Your Rasengan is pure chakra, and Kazen has forced air to meld with the chakra. His is much more powerful, because it has an elemental force attached to it. Learning to do that might aid your training. _Kyuubi's thoughts entered his mind, and they made sense. Naruto thought about how Sasuke could use his fireball jutsu, and the Chidori. He could produce elemental forces, but Naruto had yet to learn that trick. Perhaps if he could force air into the Rasengan, it would be easier to throw it, easier to make it move through the air. That had to be it, he realized. He had to learn to put air into the Rasengan.

_How do I create elemental chakra? _Naruto asked the fox.

_I am not so proficient with air, I prefer the might of fire, but by my guess it cannot be so different. A focus, something to use as a focal point, might help. For me, the fire comes from within, so the focal point is inside me, so it is easier. _

_A focal point, hmm? What would serve as a focal point?_

_A trinket that represents the element serves well as a focal point._

_So, what if I could get a scale?_

_A scale?_

_Yeah, a scale from one of Kazen's children. They are beings of pure air, right? So a part of their body should work as a focus!_

_That would do very well, Naruto. That is exactly the kind of focal point you need. _

"Great! So, can't get a scale without a dragon! Summoning Jutsu!" he cried out, and pierced his thumb. He touched the earth, and Kyuubi forced his own chakra into Naruto's jutsu. Kazen-Shozan appeared, and it was exactly the dragon Naruto wanted to talk to. "Kazen-Shozan! I need a favor from you, to complete your father's tasks!"

"And what makes you think I will agree, when you have not proven yourself worthy to command my father?"

"Fine, I can do something for you to! Anything, but if I succeed, you have to give me one of your scales!"

"Very well, boy. My test is for you to lay a single hand on me. If you can do that, you can have the scale. All you need to do…is catch me"

"Oh, great." Naruto said out loud. "Fine, let's do it!" He shouted as he ran towards the dragon. Shozan waited till Naruto had gotten very close, then disappeared, only to appear some five feet behind Naruto.

"Great…he's fast, and can go invisible. No problem" Naruto took a deep breath, spun around quickly, and lunged at Shozan. He vanished again, and a strong breeze was all Naruto caught. "Damn…how can I catch him?"

"You had better do something a little more productive than that, Naruto. You will never get a scale from me at that speed"

"Heh, I have an idea." Naruto said and his hands formed his most familiar jutsu. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, and a clone appeared at his side, smiling. "Alright, let's get him!" Naruto said, and he and the clone ran at the dragon. Once again, he easily disappeared, reappearing behind them. This time, Naruto had a plan. He and his clone turned away from each other at the last second, jumping onto boulders, and reversed their direction, towards were Shozan had reappeared. Shozan sighed, and disappeared once more. "Damn…thought we had him that time. Alright, time for plan b!"

"I think you mean plan c, as your first attempts failed too."

"Whatever, plan c it is! First, let me make one thing clear. You aren't allowed to leave this plateau, right?"

"Very well, I will not leave this plateau, not that it will matter" Shozan replied arrogantly.

"Great! Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto shouted. No clones appeared.

"Hah, pathetic! Your jutsu has failed you, boy! You will never master my father, if you cannot master me. Perhaps you should have begun with Karui!"

"Heh, don't get cocky, Shozan. I got you this time!" Naruto and his one clone ran at Shozan once more. Shozan cocked a single wispy eyebrow, but disappeared once more. Suddenly, Shozan heard something strange. It was Naruto, but the two he saw were not talking. It seemed like hundreds of Narutos were yelling. He looked up, to see an orange sky. Hundreds of Narutos were falling from the sky, raining down onto Shozan. He twisted and turned, disappeared and reappeared to avoid the clones. All the clones hit the ground, and disappeared into a cloud of air.

"Hah! Your game is over, Naruto! You will never master…what? How!?" Shozan looked back to see Naruto holding onto his tail.

"Jokes on you! You were so focused on my clones you didn't notice me! As soon as you stopped moving, I had you!" Naruto laughed in his typical triumphant laugh, which was almost a giggle.

"Very well, boy. You have succeeded in my challenge. Here, this scale is yours. You've earned it. From this point on, if not my father, I am always at your command" a single nearly transparent scale floated over to Naruto from Shozan's forehead. Shozan bowed his head solemnly, and disappeared. Naruto continued giggling, and clutched the scale. Alright! Making my Rasengan infused with air should be no problem now!"

_Well done, Naruto! Kazen's tasks should be no problem anymore!_

"Heh, yeah. Now, how do I use this thing?" Kyuubi sighed in Naruto's mind.

_Focus on the chakra dormant in the scale, Naruto. You can feel it, I know you can._

"Right." Naruto closed his eyes, and held the scale in his palm. The wind in the plateau picked up in intensity, and Naruto's hair blew wildly. "Wow, it works. I got this, no problem! Rasengan!" Naruto held his palm out, and the ball appeared. His single remaining clone started whipping the chakra once more, while Naruto focused on the scale. The clone was tossed aside as the torrent of air began in the Rasengan and spiraled outward. Naruto's hair was flying wildly once again, and dust picked up around him. "Alright, here goes nothing! Rasengan!" he yelled as he reared back, and threw his weight into the attack. The ball left his hand and shot straight ahead. It hit a nearby tree, and a large number of leaves were ripped off from the wind. The bark and wood were scored deeply by the attack, and Naruto was breathing heavily, but smiling widely. "Yeah! I got it! I threw the Rasengan!" Naruto danced happily, and Kyuubi was thankful no one was around to watch.

_Good, now you must conjure two Rasengans at once, for Kazen to bow to you as Shozan has! _Kyuubi reminded.

"Oh, right! I got this one, no problem! Trust me!" He held out one hand, and his clone helped him summon the first Rasengan. "Alright, that's the easy part! Now for number two!" The clone moved to his left side, and whipped the ball Naruto had summoned into the second Rasengan. "I knew that one would be easy! Hah, No problem!" Naruto laughed, and then his jaw dropped. The Rasengan in his right hand had disappeared when he began focusing on the second. "Darn…thought I had that one. Well, nothing to do but keep trying! Rasengan!" he shouted, and the clone whipped the ball in his right hand into Rasengan, and the first faded. "Damnit! Why won't this work?!" Naruto stared at the remaining Rasengan. "Hah! I got you beat! I know what to do! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, and a second clone appeared. He held out both hands, and the clones stood ready. He let the single Rasengan fade, and began forcing the chakra to his palms. The balls formed, and he looked back from one to the other as they grew, and the clones forced then to spin. Then, they stopped growing at about half-size. "What? Why didn't that work?" Naruto's eyes were shocked, and his clones closed their eyes grumpily.

_Naruto, try closing your eyes. By moving your concentration back and forth, each Rasengan is receiving less focus than it requires. If you focus on just controlling your chakra, I believe it will work! _Kyuubi said, and Naruto nodded.

"Alright, I got it this time! Rasengan!" he shouted after the two balls had dissipated. He closed his eyes, and breathed deeply. The two balls formed, and the clones spun them. They neared full size, and then one shrunk slightly.

_Focus, Naruto! You are losing one of the Rasengan!_

"I got it…Don't…worry!" Naruto stuttered, and then finished his sentence with a yell. Both Rasengan grew to twice the normal size, and the clones were thrown away. Naruto was yelling uncontrollably, and his head was reared back. He felt a firm hand on his forehead, and he fell to the ground. Both spheres disappeared. Sutaru stood over him, shaking his head.

"Let's work on controlling that chakra, Naruto. You woke me up, and I don't like being woken up" Sutaru said calmly.

"You called me Naruto, Master Sutaru" Naruto said from his seat on the ground.

"So? That is your name, isn't it?" Sutaru asked.

"Well, yeah, but normally you call me boy, or child, or whelp, you know. That's the first time you used my name!" Naruto said, and he laughed in his triumphant laugh once more. Sutaru sighed, and offered a hand to Naruto. He took it, and stood.

"Yes, I suppose it is. Either way, you just released far too much chakra, and that can be dangerous. You accomplished Kazen's goals, but he will not be satisfied. I have an idea of how we can impress him, even beyond his tasks." Sutaru smiled, the first time Naruto had seem him do so. Naruto smiled back.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto shouted the next morning, as he forced an air-infused Rasengan into the ground. The gale force winds picked up, and Kazen appeared.

"I see you can summon me at will, boy. That is commendable, not to mention that you caught my son. Have you accomplished my tasks?"

Naruto laughed. "Take a look around you. I thought you said he wasn't blind, Master Sutaru?" Naruto said, and laughed. As Kazen looked around, he realized he had gotten much more than he asked for. Naruto was actually sitting on a massive Rasengan, some four feet in diameter, holding one in each hand, and dozens more were floating around the mighty dragon.

"Very well, child. You have accomplished my tasks, and then some. I am at your call, but remember, my brothers will NOT be so submissive!" Kazen bowed his head to eye level with Naruto, and vanished.

"Well done, Naruto. Kazen and his children are at your command. Now, you can learn the two jutsu I have created, that I associate with Kazen." Sutaru said, his face emotionless.

"Great! What do you call them? Are they powerful?" Naruto asked, excited. His excitement made him lose focus, and the Rasengan below him disappeared. His eyes grew wide, and he fell, causing him to lose focus on the others. They shot off in random directions, as if they had been chained to a certain point, and their chains had broken.

"Of course they are, boy. Do not lose focus like that again! If you cannot be excited, and focus on a simple jutsu, Kouen will never accept you as his second master!" Sutaru shouted. "Now, here is the first of the two. This can be performed independently, whether Kazen is around or not. Dragon Tornado Jutsu!" He yelled, and from the clouds above, a long powerful twister touched down, spinning violently, throwing dirt and rocks around.

"Wow, awesome!" Naruto shouted above the roar.

"Here, watch! Keeping your hands in the position for the last sign, the dragon sign, you can move your hands to control the jutsu! Like this!" Sutaru moved his hands slowly, and the twister responded. He lifted his hands up, and the twister lifted off the ground. He lowered them, and it pushed into the ground, creating a thin, funnel shaped crater. He released the hand sign, and the twister dissipated in a violent outburst of energy. "It is likely you will need to use your scale to use this technique, Naruto. Now remember, Do or do not. We do not 'try' here."

"By any means necessary, Master Sutaru! Dragon Tornado Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, clamped the scale between his hands with each hand sign. He held strong on the final sign, the dragon, and the tornado touched to earth. Naruto's hands began to shake with the force of the chakra and the wind, and the tornado, following his unintentional commands, moved back and forth randomly.

"Control it, boy! Your hands are shaking too much!" Sutaru shouted above the roar of the twister.

"I'm…trying!" Naruto shouted. The two shadow clones that had been standing near him since Kazen was summoned ran over, and grabbed his arms and shoulders in an attempt to keep him steady. The tornado settled down a little, but still moved slightly.

"Better! Now, try moving it of your own volition!" Sutaru shouted. "If I teach this boy any of Kouen's jutsu, he'll likely kill both of us…" Sutaru said under his breath.

"You got it!" Naruto replied, and he closed his eyes. He had his clones release his arms, and he began moving the tornado. "I'm doing it, master! I'm doing it!" Naruto said happily, and he turned to look for Sutaru's approval. At doing this, he lost his concentration again, and the tornado disappeared.

"Imbecile! Can't you focus for a single blasted second?" Sutaru stalked over and smacked Naruto on the back of the head. The orange-clad ninja fell forward, onto all fours.

"I'm sorry, Master Sutaru. I can do better, I promise. Please, can you show me the more advanced version?"

"I can show you, but you will not be taught, not today. You need to master the tornado jutsu first. This is the advanced form of Dragon Tornadu Jutsu." Sutaru took a deep breath. "Summoning Jutsu!" and Kazen came to his side as the wind picked up dramatically. "First, Kazen, and only Kazen, must be summoned. His power is necessary to focus the strength of this technique!" Sutaru shouted. "Wait a moment, come here, boy! If you get too far away from me, you might get hurt! Dragon Hurricane Jutsu!" His hands reached the last sign, and even Kazen closed his eyes to the winds. Not a surprise to anyone, hurricane force winds ripped through the plateau, and the eye of the storm settled, centered upon Sutaru. "Here, this is its power. This technique is incredibly powerful genjutsu! Inside the eye of this storm, you can isolate yourself and an opponent from any others, in order to take them on one at a time. A genjutsu of this level is nearly impossible to see through, and as such, no sane ninja will try to reach you in here! You will be safe to demolish your chosen opponent, while Kazen has his fun with the others." Sutaru laughed, and Kazen smiled. "Now, rest, boy. You have done well today, but there is more for you to do! I have a real mission for you, and tomorrow you will do it! Perhaps by doing so, you will be able to gain the trust of the gentle Kaiyou."

"Yes, Master Sutaru." Naruto nodded his head slightly, and Sutaru allowed the hurricane to disappear. Kazen disappeared with it, and the plateau was at rest. Naruto slept much more soundly that night, with the thoughts of the power he had gained, and thoughts of his important mission for the next day.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter VI: Water

Chapter VI: Water

"How could this have happened?" Naruto asked as he ran alone down the mountain path.

"Master Sutaru was very tired after his battle with Jiraiya and Kakashi. It isn't surprising that someone stole into the mountain pass and took Kaiyou's scroll. She told Sutaru that only her youngest children were being summoned and forced to obey, so it is unlikely that we will face any real resistance." Kyuubi said as it's image appeared next to Naruto, running with him.

"Good, so this won't be hard. Where was it taken again?" Naruto asked.

"It was taken to a forward camp of a small hidden mist village from the Land of Waves. They are invading another village, in the land of air. It is high up that mountain ahead. How will we get up?"

"I have an idea. Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto cried, and Kazen-Shozan appeared with a burst of strong wind. Naruto leapt onto the dragon's back. "Let's go Shozan! I need to get to the top of that mountain!"

"As you wish." Shozan bowed his head, and took off for the summit.

The scene was a small camp with dozens of mist Shinobi running around. Many lay wounded, and were being tended to by the young children of Kaiyou. Naruto hid behind a large rock, and studied the camp briefly. He silently summoned a shadow clone, and sent it brazenly into the village.

"Hey, who are you guys?" The clone asked out loud. All the conscious shinob looked up in shock.

"Leaf Shinobi! The cowards from the air village must have called for reinforcements!" several Shinobi began yelling, and a few ran to the largest tent.

"Heh…My headband. Forgot I was wearing it!"

"My pets, destroy him!" A deep voice boomed from the command tent, and the children of kaiyou shot powerful streams of water, destroying the clone.

"Sir, it was a clone! The real one has to be here somewhere!"

"Spread out! Find him! We can't allow those reinforcements to know where we are!" The men began running around, looking for Naruto.

"Well, here goes nothing." Naruto said quietly. "Rasengan…" he whispered, and called one to each hand. He held the scale of Kazen-Shozan, who had disappeared once they reached the summit, in between the two spheres with the currents of air Naruto was infusing them with. Naruto turned, and leapt out of his hiding place. "Rasengan!" he yelled, and threw his spheres at two Shinobi. They connected, and spun their targets wildly out of the battle. He conjured several more, slinging them at his foes rapidly, one by one. The large majority of the camp was moaning on the ground, having been hit by Rasengan or been hit by someone who had been flung by Rasengan.

"Boss, we got trouble! He's pretty strong, and using air jutsu!" one of the men cried as he ran to the tent. Naruto summoned two Rasengan to his palms, and then turned his palms to face each other. He forced the two rasengans together, and the resulting ball of air was much larger than the two combined. It spun rapidly in front of him, and he glared at the tent. He jumped a foot or two into the air, and booted the ball of air towards the tent.

"Hidai-Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as his foot connected with the sphere. It rocketed past the injured ninja dangerously, knocking them around, and then it collided with the ninja who had been running to the tent. The tent was thrown away, and dust was picked up from every direction. When it had all cleared, Naruto saw an extremely tall and well-muscled man holding a watery-version of the Rasengan in front of him, blocking and negating Naruto's technique.

"Well, you've thoroughly demolished my command post in this invasion. For that, I will destroy you and spare you the embarrassment of returning to your superiors in failure! My pets, get him!" he shouted as he pointed to Naruto. The small dragons turned the same direction, and spewed water at him in a fast growing river. Naruto formed the hand sign, and dozens of clones appeared before him, absorbing the blow. "Well, you must have some ability after all, summoning so many clones so quickly. It will be my pleasure to destroy you!" he rapidly formed hand signs, then held one arm straight at Naruto, his other hand creating a perpendicular cross at his elbow. "Torrential Downpour Jutsu!" Dark clouds formed above the battle, and it began to rain heavily.

"That's it? What is that supposed to do?" Naruto asked with a laugh. Then, his eyes grew wide as all the small dragons grew in size, the chakra infused water of their element raining upon them.

The tall man laughed out loud. "You pathetic insect! Don't underestimate my pets! Now, destroy him!" They quickly moved around Naruto, and shot water from all directions. Naruto screamed in pain, and the rivers flowing from their mouths pounding violently into him, holding him in place as he was buffeted from all directions. The water ceased flowing, and the large man laughed once more. "I am Dorobou, and I will crush this air village, and hold it in my iron grip!" He laughed once more.

"So…that's why you stole the scroll." Naruto said angrily as he climbed from the pool that had formed around him.

"What? How do you know about the scroll?" Dorobou looked intrigued, and slightly cautious.

"Because…you stole it from my sensei, Sutaru. Those dragons are the children of Kaiyou, the water dragon. Your lucky I can't summon her myself, because I'm sure she's plenty upset with you right about now, forcing her children to heal your warriors against their will!"

"Well, you've pretty much nailed it on the head, kid! You're a lot smarter than your spiky-head lets on! Well, if you have a connection to their mother, then I can't let you escape! Once more, my pets, destroy him!" he shouted, thrusting a massive finger in Naruto's direction.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto cried as he bit his thumb, created a Rasengan, and forced it into the ground. In a stunning display, the Rasengan caused the water at Naruto's feet to spray in all directions, and from the spray, Kazen burst skyward. His arrival came with an incredible gust of wind, and Naruto was shielded from the water.

"Naruto, use the hurricane Jutsu! He will not be able to have Kaiyou's children aid him!" Kazen said as he reared up behind Naruto.

"Right! Got it! Dragon Hurricane Jutsu!" Naruto hollered, and the hurricane sprang to life, whipped powerful winds around the camp. Just wide enough for the eye of the storm to cover the distance between Naruto and Dorobou, the two ninja stared each other down. The wind from Dorobou's downpour jutsu still rained heavily, and the hurricane sprayed the water everywhere. They were both soaked, and water ran down their faces. "Your game is over, Dorobou! You're going to let those dragons go, and you will never summon one again!" Naruto shouted over the din of the storm.

"Hah! I'll crush you here and now, and I'll keep using them to aid my war! You can't stop this war by yourself, little Leaf Shinobi!" Dorbou shouted, and dropped into a fighting stance.

"You don't seem to understand who I am! I'm not a leaf Shinobi anymore! I am Naruto Uzemaki, Rogue Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"Hah, so you're a rogue ninja, huh? Well, that makes two of us! You should join me, kid! Your pretty strong, and with your dragon, and mine, nothing would stop us from bringing down this whole nation!"

"I would never join the likes of you." Naruto said with a scowl. "I'm going to be the greatest Hokage, the strongest this world has ever seen!" he shouted.

"You, Hokage? Hah! You're just a kid, a little whelp! You insignificant little worm. You could never be Hokage! Heh, I would make a better Hokage-" Dorobou stopped talking, mostly because he had Naruto's fist embedded in his stomach, elbow deep. His jaw dropped, and his eyes grew wide. "Why…you…little…brat!" he managed to finish.

"Don't you ever insult my dream! I will be Hokage, and no thief will ever tell me otherwise!" Naruto shouted. "Rasengan…" Naruto said quietly and angrily. Dorobou looked at Naruto in horror, as nothing appeared in Naruto's free hand. His face became enveloped in pain, and he cringed. He began screaming in pain, and Naruto thrusted and straightened his arm, tossing Dorobou spinning into the hurricane. Blood flew everywhere, covering Naruto's jumpsuit. Dorobou's screams could be heard less and less as he spun through the hurricane.

_Naruto, I had an idea…I will tell you about a new Jutsu we could create, but not here and not now…_

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto said as he calmed down a bit, and the hurricane fell. The camp was in ruin, and Kazen stared approvingly at Naruto. Kaiyen's children were gone, and the rest of the ninja had fled. Naruto heard feet moving to his left, and spun to meet it. What he saw were hundreds of wide-eyed men, wearing armor and wielding spears and bows. Their eyes were wide, staring at Naruto. When what appeared to be the general walked closer, he climbed off his horse, helmet under his arm and stood in front of Naruto. He towered in front of him, at least a foot and a half taller. Naruto glared angrily at him.

"So what, me killing Dorobou wasn't enough? I have to destroy his army too?" Naruto said. What happened next was unexpected to everyone, from Naruto to Kazen, Kyuubi, and even the soldiers. The general dropped to one knee and bowed his head before Naruto. At this, the soldiers caught on, and bowed before him as well. Naruto could feel Kyuubi grinning in his mind. "Why? Why are you guys bowing?" Naruto asked.

"We are the army of the Village Hidden in the Wind. Dorobou and his gang would have destroyed us, if you had not intervened. We are forever in your debt. What name can we properly thank you by?"

"Naruto…Naruto Uzemaki…" Naruto said, taken back by the display. "You can stand up. What's your name?" Naruto asked.

"I am Daishou, and I am at your service, Naruto Uzemaki. What can we do to repay our great debt?"

"Don't worry about it, I didn't come to save you guys. I came to get a scroll he stole from my sensei." Naruto walked away and took the scroll from the ruined tent.

"We must repay our debt, it is part of our code as a village. Honor demands that we repay what we would call a 'life-debt'. We all owe you our lives." Daishou said.

"Save it. I don't need any favors-" Naruto said but stopped as Kyuubi plunged into his mind.

_Naruto, surely you are too young now, but perhaps in a few years, when you are old enough, this village…They could make you Hokage, and we would have no need of gathering followers."_

"Now. I don't need any favors now. I might, someday. I have a goal, that I have to accomplish, by any means necessary, and someday, you might be able to help me accomplish it." Naruto said. "For now, just go about your lives, and remember my name. That's all I need right now." Naruto laughed his triumphant laugh, and held his thumb up. "I'll come back, I promise! And I never go back on my word! That's my Ninja…Oh, well… I never go back on my word. Trust me."

"As you would have it!" The general stood, and climbed back on his horse. His soldiers stood, and as he walked away, they followed.

_All we need worry about now, is getting power to rival the Hokage's of the other lands. _

"Yeah. Now, about that jutsu you had thought of?" Naruto asked as he walked over to Kazen. "Hey, can I get a ride back to Master Sutaru? I'm pretty tired, that hurricane jutsu takes a lot out of you, now that I think about it…" Kazen bowed his head, and allowed Naruto to climb onto his head. Naruto soon fell asleep, and Kazen flew slowly to accommodate Naruto's lack of grip.

"So, you have returned, Successfully, I hope?" Sutaru asked as Naruto groggily climbed off of Kazen.

"Yeah…I rescued Kaiyou's children. You can tell her she's welcome. I'm going to go to sleep first, alright?" Naruto's eyes faded in and out of sleep, and he was barely staying standing.

"She already knows, her children were returned to her not long ago. She wished to personally thank you."

"Great…Can you bring her here after I take a quick nap?" Naruto asked, still very tired.

"You can summon her yourself. Here." Sutaru took the scroll from Naruto's back, and took a quill from his pocket. "Sign the scroll, Naruto, and thank her when you are ready. She will be easier to summon, as she has already agreed to this contract."

"Great…"Naruto signed the scroll as carefully as he could, considering he was half conscious. He finished signing, and fell asleep completely. Kazen moved his head behind Naruto, catching him gently, and lowering him to the ground with the same care.

"All that remains is to remove this…blemish from Kaiyou's scroll. Dorobou…what a fool." Sutaru closed his eyes and held his open hand over the scroll. The blood began to crawl off the page, and flowed slowly towards his hand. He quickly waved his hand in the direction of the magma pool, and the blood followed. It landed in the pool, and Dorobou's dying screams could be heard as the magma hissed angrily.

"So, Naruto killed for the first time today, didn't he Kyuubi?" The fox's image responded by crawling from Naruto's body.

"Yes, he did it quite well, too, he is still covered in Dorobou's blood. He sleeps so peacefully, despite the damage he caused to the fool. There may be hope for him yet." Kyuubi and Sutaru shared a brief glance before Kazen and Kyuubi disappeared.


	8. Chapter 7 You Are Not Ready

Alright, there has been good feedback on this story, and bad feedback. Unfortunately, more bad than good. However, I did take the time to review this chapter (the other chapters have been sitting on my computer for some time now i just post them whenever i feel like it) and I think its a little more error free, as far as the context goes. Please, enjoy the latest installment!

"Wait, what are you saying? We're just going to leave him there?" Kakashi asked loudly as he stood before Lady Tsunade.

"Look, Kakashi. We don't have the resources to deal with someone at the sannin level, so it is best if we leave him be, for now. Naruto hasn't committed any crime, so he is free to return at any time, and when we have returned to our full strength, maybe I'll be able to spare a few people to go get him, but that time is not now. I can't sacrifice the safety of our village for one genin!"

"A genin that Akatsuki is after! A genin that has a demon trapped inside him that brought this village to its knees!" Kakashi yelled back.

"Don't take that tone with me, Kakashi! I understand, Naruto means a lot to a lot of people in this village, but I don't have the manpower to sacrifice right now! Sutaru and Naruto will be left alone for the time being!" Tsunade shouted as she stood and slammed her fists on the table. "You do not have a choice in this matter, Kakashi. Obito would have followed orders, and you will to!" Kakashi glared at her with one eye and stormed out. Tsunade didn't like playing on people's weaknesses, but she had no time to waste right now. "Kakashi!" Tsunade yelled as he had almost left the room. He stopped and turned to regard her. "Spend some time training Sasuke, he's bitter after losing to Naruto, and maybe in a while he will be able to go after him. That's an order." Tsunade said as she sat down.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." He said as he bowed and left. Kakashi left promptly, heading for the hospital. Sasuke was supposed to be there, just for a day or two. That medicine made Sasuke feel better, but it didn't heal any wounds, and he was in bad shape.

"I'm sorry, but Sasuke isn't here. His wounds are sufficiently healed, and he checked himself out. I don't know where he is." The receptionist at the hospital told Kakashi a few minutes later.

"Yeah, thanks." Kakashi said as he turned and walked away. Kakashi had a thought, and leapt off for the tree on which he had found Sasuke just before he left the last time.

"What do you want?" Sasuke said flatly with an undertone of anger.

"Nice to see you too." Kakashi said whimsically, and although it couldn't be seen under his mask, he smiled broadly.

"Why are you here, sensei? I'd much rather be alone right now." Sasuke sighed.

"I'm here to train you, by order of Lady Hokage." Kakashi replied. Sasuke scoffed. "It's an order, so I don't have a choice, and neither do you."

"The last time you trained me, it didn't go so well. I lost to Gaara, I lost to Naruto twice, and then I was forced to run against Naruto's new friend." Sasuke said as he stood up and jumped to a new perch where he sat again.

"I only had a month. Lady Hokage has decided no one will be going after Naruto for some time. This time, you'll become much stronger. I know over a thousand jutsu thanks to this eye of mine, I could teach you some of the better ones."

"New jutsu won't help me! Naruto…Naruto improves too quickly. Every day he gets stronger, smarter, faster! I can't keep up! Not here." Sasuke shouted.

"Where else would you go? Where else would you train?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke's eyes glanced to his curse-mark. "No, you won't go to him. I forbid you, and I won't let you leave the village. I don't have a mission other than to train you, so I'll watch you 24/7."

"If I decide to go, you won't stop me." Sasuke said angrily.

"Oh, and what makes you think that?"

"If I decide to go, you'll have to kill me. You wouldn't kill me."

"Well, first of all, I only need to knock you unconscious, or tie you up. Killing you is unnecessary. Second of all, to prevent Orochimaru from using you as a host, yeah I might be willing to go that extra mile."

"You're lying. You wouldn't kill me, you see yourself in me. You couldn't do it." Sasuke stood up and jumped off the tree.

"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked.

"I think I'll go see someone about a curse-mark." Sasuke replied as he walked away, leaving Kakashi in the tree.

"That's not funny, Sasuke." Kakashi said as he reappeared behind him, with a hand on his shoulder.

"Get off me. If I decide to go, I'm going, and you won't stop me." Sasuke scowled and brushed Kakashi's hand off his shoulder. He took to jumping from building to building. Kakashi appeared in front of him this time, arms crossed on his chest. "You know, you trying to stop me only makes me want to go more. Get out of my way, I have training to do." Sasuke brushed past Kakashi, and jumped down into the throng of the market place below. He continued walking until he reached the village gates. "How many times do I have to tell you? You won't stop me." Sasuke said as he turned to see Kakashi behind him, as expected. One thing he didn't expect was to hear the chirping, and to see Kakashi holding the Raikiri in his right palm.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I won't let you?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"There is no way for me to get stronger than Naruto without doing this! I'm going to him, and I'm going to kill Naruto, and then I'm going to kill Itachi! Goodbye, Kakashi sensei." He turned around, and there he was again, this time, Kakashi had one hand on Sasuke's shoulder, the other pulled back with the Raikiri, as if to strike.

"You wouldn't dare." Sasuke said with a smug look. Kakashi kicked out with his back foot, knocking Sasuke off his feet. As Sasuke tried to right himself in mid-air, Kakashi turned and palmed Sasuke's chest with his left hand, forcing him to the ground.

"What makes you think that? I've been around here a while, killing someone isn't too foreign to me. Besides, knocking you down a peg or two might be good for you."

"Get off me!" Sasuke shouted as he activated his sharingan. He lashed out at Kakashi with both feet, and Kakashi sidestepped easily. Sasuke leapt to his feet and dropped into a fighting stance. "If I have to fight you to get out of here, then that's what I'll do! You'll regret getting in my way!" Sasuke leapt at Kakashi, kicking out with his right leg. Kakashi caught it with his hand and dismissed the Raikiri.

"Your no stronger than the day you joined squad 7, are you?" Kakashi said as he used his free hand to pull out his typical reading material.

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted as he flipped in mid-air and threw several kunai at Kakashi. He grabbed a couple shuriken and tossed them upward, deflecting each kunai in turn, without ever looking up.

"I'll make you a deal. You get one blow in, hit me just once, and I'll walk away, and you can go to Orochimaru. If you haven't hit me by sundown, you stay here and train with me." Kakashi said while reading.

"Fine…this will just take a second!" Sasuke said as he landed on the ground.

"Well I'm glad you agree to my terms." Kakashi said as he disappeared. He reappeared behind Sasuke. "Good luck!" he whispered in his ear. Sasuke spun and threw a fist out, but the copycat ninja was gone. Sasuke growled, irritated, and spun around to find his sensei. He caught a glimpse of him walking slowly among the townsfolk, and Sasuke dashed off after him.

He leapt over the crowd and lashed out violently, but it wasn't Kakashi, it was a fruit cart. He pulled his punch in time not to strike the produce, and leapt away. "Damnit…" Sasuke said between clenched teeth. "Heh, I know how I can find him." Sasuke grinned, and turned and walked towards the gate. He was just in front of the gate and Kakashi appeared outside the walls.

"Uh-uh-ah, that's against the rules, Sasuke." Kakashi said as he waved a finger back and forth, still immersed in Make out Paradise. Sasuke growled angrily and leapt at him. "Tisk tisk, you are grumpy today, aren't you?" Kakashi said as he lazily ducked a punch from Sasuke. Sasuke was a foot in the air, and shot out with a forward kick. Kakashi disappeared, and then reappeared at his side. "Not good enough, sorry!" Kakashi said as he walked away.

"Kakashi…get back here!" Sasuke said. "Fight me like a man!" Sasuke said.

"Won't work, Sasuke. Besides, don't try to taunt me, it doesn't suit you." Kakashi replied.

"Is this why he died?" Sasuke asked with a sneer as he ran at Kakashi.

"Who? No one has died recently." Kakashi ducked as Sasuke threw a kick his way.

"That's how you got your sharingan, right? I asked around." Sasuke said, as he landed and threw a back kick at Kakashi as he pivoted.

"Yes, I received my sharingan from a teammate whose death was imminent, it's true." Kakashi caught the kick and threw Sasuke off balance.

"And is this why he died? Because you wouldn't stand and fight? Is this why Obito died?" Sasuke said, all of a sudden unable to find Kakashi. He appeared in front of him, low and the book was gone. Kakashi's face was serious, and his mask was down to reveal his sharingan. He shot an elbow at the unsuspecting Sasuke, and it caught him in the stomach. Spit flew from Sasuke's mouth and his eyes grew wide. Kakashi disappeared again, this time showing up behind Sasuke. He whispered angrily into the boy's ear.

"You want to run that by me again?"

"I said, is this why Obito died? Is this why he isn't alive anymore, because you wouldn't stand and fight?" Sasuke snarled.

"That's what I thought you said." Kakashi kicked Sasuke's feet out from under him, then crouched low, flipped over, and double-kicked Sasuke's back. He leapt up, as Sasuke was sent skyward, grabbing one of the disoriented boy's arms, and then throwing him earthward. Sasuke righted himself in time to land on all fours, and leapt sideways as a barrage of kunai and shuriken littered the ground where he had been. Kakashi landed, dashed over, and punted Sasuke in the ribs while he was still on all fours. Sasuke clenched his eyes and teeth, grabbing his ribs in pain as he rolled onto his back uncomfortably. Kakashi put a foot on Sasuke's injured ribs. "Don't talk about things you know nothing about. When you're strong enough for me to start trying, I'll fight back. Until then" Kakashi took his favorite reading out again. Kakashi took his foot off Sasuke's stomach. "Are you finished lying on the ground, napping, while your window of opportunity to leave is wasting away?" The pain in Sasuke's face drained, and the curse mark crawled over his body.

"Don't…insult me, Kakashi. Don't make me kill you." Sasuke growled, and he stood back up.

"Don't get cocky Sasuke. Your not even a chunin!" Kakashi said.

"Yeah, well, I don't need some stupid title to beat you." Sasuke rushed at Kakashi, he was much faster now. Kakashi disappeared quickly, and Sasuke turned, charging at his new location. The two bounced across this section of the village, Sasuke narrowly missing Kakashi each time.

"Obviously, that curse mark doesn't help you at all! You still can't even hit me! What is it you think Orochimaru can do for you? Look, I've still got my book out!" Kakashi said, tauntingly.

"Shut up, Kakashi!" Sasuke stopped moving, and the curse mark began to flow and crawl, changing shape. Sasuke's normally jet black hair began to turn white, his eyes sinister, and those wings grew from his back. "NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM GETTING STRONGER! Nothing will stop me from having my revenge!" Sasuke roared.

"The fact that you would release the second level of that mark here, in the village, shows your weakness, Sasuke! Your so desperate to go chase false dreams of power, you'd risk harming the innocent! I didn't want to do this, Sasuke, but I might just have to put you back in the hospital." Kakashi said calmly. He moved his headband off his eye, revealing the sharingan. "If you really want to learn a new trick, how does this one catch you?" Kakashi reappeared directly in front of Sasuke, grabbed him by the throat, and forced him against the walls of the village. "This isn't the first time it's been used on you, is it?" Kakashi asked.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, struggling against Kakashi's iron grip to no avail.

"I picked this one up…When I was fighting your brother. Mangekyo Sharingan."

"What? No!!" Sasuke screamed in horror. The scene changed dramatically, sculpted to Kakashi's wishes. All around them, fires burned. Sasuke was in his normal state, but Kakashi's dogs held him in place.

"I don't want to hurt you, Sasuke, but you can't leave the village, not to go see Orochimaru." Kakashi said calmly. "I don't know what your brother did to you when he used this jutsu, but I know what he did to me." Kakashi said calmly. _It won't be anywhere near that bad. _Kakashi thought. Kakashi drew shuriken from a pouch, and began hurling them, one at a time, at Sasuke. Sasuke screamed with every shuriken that penetrated his skin. When Kakashi took a brief break, Sasuke growled maliciously, swearing vengeance on Kakashi, and so he threw more. The cycle repeated for seventy-two hours, as was customary for the Mangekyo.

It ended, and Sasuke was on the ground, his eyes no longer held the sharingan. He lay, trembling, but unharmed, on the ground. Kakashi sighed.

"I really didn't want to do that." Kakashi sighed again, and bent over to pick up the boy. He carried him to the hospital, and there Sasuke stayed for the next few days. All that mattered to Kakashi was that he stayed past sundown.

"Naruto, wake up." Sutaru said as sun rose over the mountain.

"Hmm? What? Is it morning already?" Naruto was wearing his typical nighttime outfit, with the odd black cap and his pajamas.

"It has been morning for some time. I felt it was time for you to learn Kaiyou's techniques." Sutaru said as he walked slowly to the stream. "Your ability to learn has increased in your time here, and I have no doubt that you will be able to master them quickly. In the past few days you managed to master both of Kazen's techniques, as well as summoning him."

"Yeah! Alright, hold on! I'll be ready in just a sec!" Naruto hurried to throw on his orange jumpsuit. "OK! Let's do it!" Naruto said excitedly.

"Very well. Here is the first technique. As with the Dragon Tornado, Kaiyou does not need to be present to use this jutsu. Dragon Tidal Wave Jutsu!" Sutaru cried as he formed the signs, ending with the dragon hand sign, as he did for all the others. Waves crashed as a massive tidal wave rose from the stream. Its crest formed the shape of a dragon with massive wings, and a long, thin dragon's head held at the center. "This technique is by no means accurate, Naruto. Against one skilled enemy, it is nearly useless. Against a thousand fools, its usefulness is unparalleled."

"Wow…cool! What is the advanced version?" Naruto cried.

"I will not use the Dragon Tsunami here. Once the jutsu has been completed, it cannot be controlled like some of the others. Not to mention that the technique is nearly unavoidable, and Kaiyou could only save one of us. Essentially, it is identical. The only difference is that a wave like this will be coming from each direction, so escape is unlikely." Sutaru stood motionless, holding the wave in place.

"Cool." Naruto said, awestruck. "Can this one be controlled?"

"To a certain extent. I can hold it, and release it at will, but once I let go, it takes its own path."

"Awesome! When can I learn to summon another dragon?"

Sutaru allowed the wave to fade back into the river. "You are not ready."

Read, review! Please and thank you!


	9. Chapter 8 A Second Chance

"Sasuke, are you awake

"Sasuke, are you awake?" Kakashi asked as he stood over the boy's hospital bed. Sasuke looked at him, scowled, and rolled over.

"I can understand that your mad at me Sasuke, but I was under orders to not let you leave the village. We can begin training as soon as you're ready."

"You cheated." Sasuke said.

"I what?"

"You cheated. Using that technique wasn't fair." Sasuke said, irritated.

"I did what I had to do to complete my mission." Kakashi replied. "Get up, we're going to go train." Sasuke climbed out of bed angrily. He dressed quickly, and stood at the door.

"Where are we going, and what are you going to teach me?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll teach you a few interesting tricks. You'll be ready in time."

"In time for what?"

"Oh, sorry. The chunin exams. Lady Hokage requested to have them held here again, on the anniversary of her inauguration, in order to display our renewed strength. She wants a strong showing, and she wants as many of you to reach the level of chunin as possible."

"The chunin exams? We have to go through all that again?" Sasuke sighed.

"Yes, but it's going to be different this time around, which is good, since your typical squad is 1 member short." Kakashi said with a smile as he led Sasuke out of the hospital.

"What is going to happen this time?"

"Well, there will be two tournament type bouts. Teams will randomly be drawn for a large number of two on two matches, and then there will be a week for recovery, and those who wish to continue will go one on one." Kakashi explained.

"Well, at least it's different. What kind of training do you have for me?"

"Mainly chakra control, some taijutsu, and a special mission which you'll be doing in a month or so." Sutaru said as he sat on a flat rock, surprisingly enough sewing a robe.

"Chakra control? That's so boring! But, what's this mission?" Naruto asked.

"It may be boring, but it is necessary, and it is where you lack skill the most. The mission…will be interesting to say the least."

"Come on! Tell me! Wait a minute, what do you mean I lack skill? I'm going to be-" Naruto began.

"The greatest hokage. I know. You can't keep saying that, it isn't as if you could become the kage of a village that you are considered a missing nin by." Sutaru finished. "The mission will be to go to the chunin exams. I want you to test yourself against your former classmates." Sutaru said with a grin. "Ah, finished."

"The chunin exams! Oh, I'll totally dominate!" Naruto cried. "Wait, finished with what?"

"Some robes I made for you. You can't walk into the leaf village dressed the way you are, can you?"

"No…I suppose not. But, I have to sign up for the chunin exams; they'll know it's me from my name, and my headband! I have to have a home village!"

"I've taken care of everything. You are signed up as Naibun Doragon, and I made a new headband. Just tell them you come from the Village Hidden in the Storm, Arashigakure." He handed Naruto the headband, and the robes. The robes were jet black, but were loose. Naruto figured he could move around in them easily enough. The headband had the image of a storm cloud, with lightning and rain.

"Great! This stuff is really cool, Master Sutaru. Thanks!" Naruto changed into the robes, and wore the headband around his waist, as a belt. He lowered the hood to hang at his shoulders. "Wow, this is really comfortable!" Naruto cried.

"It is designed to be. I couldn't expect you to fight in the chunin exams, in your home village, without a disguise, and if the disguise were uncomfortable, it would make it difficult to fight at your highest potential. Now, here is your task. I want you to practice walking on the stream here, as you've done before, with a slight twist: You can only use one foot."

"What? One foot? That's ridiculous. You can't expect me to climb a tree with only one foot." Sasuke complained.

"Of course I can, I'm your teacher. Oh, did the nurses skip your breakfast like I asked?"

"Yes…" Sasuke growled.

"Good! Your lunch is at the top. Bring the trash to me if you finished before I get back. When you're done, we'll move on. Don't try and cheat, either, because I'm going to have you do it in front of me when we get back. I'll see you a few hours." Kakashi waved, and disappeared.

"Idiot…how am I supposed to climb a tree with one foot?" Sasuke paced under the tree, thinking. When he realized he had no distinct strategy, he went about twenty feet back, and ran towards the tree. He stopped just short, leapt as high as he could, and put one foot out. His chakra gripped his foot to the tree, and he dangled precariously. He got his balance, and pondered what to do from here. He tried slowly inching his foot higher, but it was slow going, and he knew his balance wouldn't last forever. He bent his leg, dug his foot in, and jumped as high as he could with one foot. He went to place his foot back on the tree, and barely grabbed it, but then he began to slip. Then he fell. Sasuke plummeted towards the earth, but latched onto a tree branch to slow his descent. He landed safely on the ground, irritated. He continued trying, in various ways, for a few hours.

When Kakashi finally returned, Sasuke still had not reached his lunch, and the sun had almost set. Sasuke was covered in sweat, and breathing heavily.

"Alright, give it a go, let's see what you've got." Kakashi said. Sasuke, wordlessly, charged at the tree, made a similar attempt to his first, and got nowhere new.

"This is stupid! It isn't possible! Having to release and reapply chakra is one thing, but gravity and the impact, as well as the tree pushing back, make it impossible!"

"I never said you couldn't use your hands." Kakashi said flatly. Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sasuke, this wasn't about chakra control. You're a child, and you can use Chidori twice in the same day. That's amazing for someone your age."

"Then what was it about?" Sasuke yelled.

"Thinking. You were so irritated with me about the other day, and giving you what seemed like an impossible assignment, that you weren't thinking clearly. No one can lead a team when they aren't thinking clearly, Sasuke. If squad seven still existed, you would be the leader, and you will be the leader for some time, but you can't let your anger get the best of you. Calm down." Kakashi explained. Sasuke sighed, and then climbed the tree with ease, using one foot and both hands. He devoured the meal, having been working all day, and not had a thing to eat.

"Ok, walking on water…that is the easy part. Now, I take one foot off…Easy! This is a snap!" Naruto said with a laugh.

"Alright, now get across the river." Sutaru said, not even watching the boy.

"You got it! This training is easy!" Naruto pushed off on the water, and fell through. "Hey! What's going on?" the soaking wet Naruto climbed out of the river.

"You had to put more pressure on your foot to jump, than you would to walk. You didn't anticipate that, and so, you fell."

"Alright…fine. This time I got it, no problem!" Naruto cried. He got onto the water, took one foot off, and stood for a moment. "Alright, no problem." Naruto forced more chakra to his foot, and he only sunk an inch or two when he pushed down in order to jump. He leapt, shouting for joy, and when his foot connected with the water, and he fell through. "What did I do this time?" Naruto asked, angrily, and now he was soaked.

"There is a lot more force being put onto the water when you land, because of gravity, etc…Your going to have to instantaneously summon a lot of chakra to your feet. Try it again."

"Right…I got it this time!" Naruto repeated his first few steps, and then made the leap. He still sunk in a few inches, but made the jump just fine. He forced his chakra to his foot, and the blue aura grew to seven or eight times the normal size. He landed on a snowshoe of chakra, created a wave, and fell backwards in.

"Focus your chakra, you created it outward! You need a dense amount of chakra at your feet, not around it! Imbecile…"

A few months would pass, with Kakashi training Sasuke, and Sutaru training Naruto. Each teacher passed on their strength to their students, ignoring all other tasks in order to prepare them. They weren't the only ones training, and neither the teachers nor the students knew what to expect from this. Sutaru expected Naruto to be killed, not knowing that the Leaf Village didn't consider him a rogue ninja, and Kakashi didn't expect Naruto to show up.


	10. Chapter 9 The Chunin Exams! Begin!

Alright, we are back to By Any Means Necessary! If you recall the end of the last chapter, the chunin exams are about to start! I've divided the chapters into single fights, and some are shorter than others. Bear with me, I hope this excites and/or amuses you!

Chapter IX: Arrival

Not many had come to this session of the chunin exams. Most of the lords still believed the leaf village was weak, and sending their Shinobi there was a mistake. As a result, only six of the sixteen were outsiders. For the first day of the exams, all were gathered at the coliseum that had been rebuilt since Orochimaru's attack. The stands were filled once again, as this was a celebration for the Leaf Village, a declaration of their return to strength. Sixteen young Shinobi stood at the center, with the proctor just in front of them.

"Alright! Let's get the chunin exams under way! As you all know, for the first round of the exams, these young ninja will be separated into groups of two, which will be randomly selected, and then they will fight in a tournament style competition. As is typical with the chunin exams, it is prowess and ability, not winning or losing, that decides who becomes a chunin. Now, without further delay, let's pick the teams." The proctor said. The crowd exploding into cheering, and the genin remained standing. Lady Tsunade and Gaara, the newly appointed Kazekage, sat on the highest balcony to watch the battle.

"This should be amusing to watch, but I'm disappointed by the turn out." Tsunade said. Gaara just sighed, clearly bored.

"Lady Hokage, shall we commence with selecting the teams?" a ninja asked as he appeared next to her chair.

"Yeah, go ahead and do it. The crowd tends to get upset if we wait too long."

"Alright, all the names of the competitors are on pieces of paper in this bowl. The first member of team one will be: Sakura Haruno!" the crowd clapped loudly at the announcement of the virtually unknown ninja. "Her teammate will be: Hinata Hyuga!" The crowd was much louder for a member of the esteemed bloodline, and Sakura smiled warmly as Hinata walked over. "Team two will consist of: Ino Yamanaka!" The crowd clapped. "And Temari-" the proctor's voice was drowned out by the number of sand villagers at the exams. Ino and Temari looked at each other disdainfully, then scowled and faced opposite directions. "Team three will be: Kiba Inuzaka!" Kiba walked forward looking high into the stands while the crowd cheered. "And: Shino Abarame!" Shino silently walked forward and stopped in front of Kiba. Kiba smiled broadly.

"Yeah, Shino! This thing is gonna be no sweat."

"Team four: Chouji Akimichi!" Chouji's father roared in approval, and Chouji smiled. He pocketed his snack, and walked to an open area of the field. "His teammate will be: Neji Hyuga!" The crowd roared at hearing the prestigious clan name, but very little came from Neji's own family, being a calm, collected group. "Team five is: Genkotsu Dageki!" This ninja, who was supposed to be young, seemed abnormally tall, soaring over the other genin. He wore no shirt, just black pants, and bandages on his fists. "And Konkuro!" the proctor leaned aside to Konkuro as he walked past. "Hey, kid, why isn't there a last name here?"

"Beats me. Oh well, who cares?" Konkuro said calmly as he walked next to the massive genin.

"Team six will consist of: Rock Lee!" Might Guy could be heard hollering Lee's name clearly across the stadium, drowning out the clapping. Lee smiled broadly and gave the thumbs up. "His teammate will be: Tenten!" Tenten moved forward and walked over to Lee.

"Tenten!" Lee cried as she walked over.

"Hey Lee." Tenten said with a laugh.

"Team seven will be: Ikazuchi Joukeiki!" The smallish ninja, dressed in a black version of the outfit many leaf Jonin wore, walked silently to an open spot. "And, Subeta Kiwa!" Wearing a white outfit, and a black belt, the ninja strode over next to Ikazuchi with a long sword hanging from his hip.

"And Team eight will be made up of the only two remaining Genin! Sasuke Uchiha!" the crowd exploded at hearing the name of the nearly extinct clan. "And Naibun Doragon!" The small ninja in the black robes, wearing his headband as a belt, walked towards Sasuke.

_Who is this guy? And why is he wearing his headband around his waist? What a loser…_ Sasuke thought.

_Sasuke? Sasuke is my partner?! How could this get any worse? I'll have to avoid Rasengan and the Shadow Clones… That sucks, those are my favorite techniques! _Naruto thought.

"And without further procrastination, let's get the exams under way! The first bout will be between Team eight, and Team Two! The rest of you, go ahead and talk strategy while you watch these groups go at it, or get a bite to eat, whatever, just get out of the arena." The proctor stood between the two groups. Ino and Temari still weren't looking at each other, while Sasuke and Naibun stood several feet apart, Sasuke clearly not happy with his partner choice, though he probably wouldn't be happy with anyone.

"Alright, you can begin. And I'd advise you kids to start working together. If you lose in the first round, you don't make it to the second tournament, not to mention that this being a ninja thing has a lot to do with teamwork…" The proctor walked away.

"Listen, just stay back, you'll get in my way. I'll take care of these two myself." Sasuke said, and he activated his sharingan. Naibun nodded.

"Look, Temari, we may not get along, but if we don't work together, neither of us get to be chunin!"

"Yeah, your right I suppose. It looks like Sasuke doesn't think he needs his partner; let's prove him wrong. I have an idea." Temari leaned over and whispered into Ino's ear.

Sasuke moved slowly towards the two, and once he was about ten feet away, he rushed at Temari. She whipped her fan out, creating a huge burst of air. Sasuke rolled to his right, and skidded on all fours. He ran at her again, and she continued to repel him with the bursts. He came in once more, but instead of rolling to the side, he jumped straight up. Temari had figured he might do that, and so she reared back with the fan, and let a burst go upward. Sasuke lost all remains of balance as he was tossed around in midair. Temari waited for him to be within the range, and then pulled the fan downward, hard. Sasuke took the blow in the back, and fell face first into the earth.

"Now, Ino!" Temari shouted. Ino went through the hand signs quickly, using her signature jutsu. The pale beam moved much quicker than usual towards Sasuke, and she thought she had him.

"Dragon Force Strike!" Naibun yelled, and he had appeared just in front of Ino. He threw a single punch at her stomach, and she flew backwards, colliding with the coliseum wall. Sasuke stood up, and the two faced Temari from both sides.

"Nice work…you might not be useless after all." Sasuke said cockily. Temari unleashed a blast of air at Sasuke, which he rolled to avoid. She turned and threw another at Naibun, which he avoided as well. They ran in a circle around her, avoiding her blasts, and slowly closing in. She leapt into the air when they got too close, and the two followed her. Sasuke mirrored her flight from below, and Naibun floated above her. The both kicked her in the left ribs, and she rolled over in the air. Naibun reared both hands back, and smashed her stomach, forcing her downward. Sasuke flattened her descent out with a single punch, and she hit the ground flat on their back. Both of the boys' heels connected with her stomach as she landed.

"Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke yelled.

"Dragon's Barrage!" Naibun yelled.

"What did you say?" Sasuke said. Naibun said nothing. "Hey, what did you just say? How do you know my technique, and how dare you steal it and rename it!"

"Team eight wins!" The proctor said as he checked Temari for consciousness. She wasn't. Sasuke and Naibun walked off the field, both remaining silent.

"Team eight, clear the field. Medics, please take these two away. The next fight is between team five and team six!" the four ninja came from the stadium.

Please review! I hope you enjoyed!


	11. Chapter 11 Don't Insult My Sensei

Sorry about the delay! There was this convention here, and so i had to go to that, hehe that killed my weekend...ANYWAY here is the newest chapter! Enjoy!

Rock Lee was exuberant, as always, and Tenten just laughed and smiled. Konkuro looked doubtingly at the person next to him who towered at least a foot over him.

"Alright, since you're all here, go ahead, and begin!" the proctor shouted.

"Tenten, I will deal with our large friend. Can you handle Konkuro?" Lee asked.

"I've got you covered, Lee!" Tenten answered, and she drew several shuriken and kunai.

"Very well then! Let's do it!" Lee said, and he took off running straight at the two opposing ninja. Konkuro ran to the side, and that left Lee alone with Genkotsu Dageki. Lee ran in circles, and the large genin stared him down, not moving a muscle. Suddenly, he lurched out and punched at the ground. Lee easily avoided the clumsy punch, but much to his dismay, there was a six-foot wide crater in the ground around Genkotsu's fist.

"That is a fascinating technique! Such sheer strength, and without any apparent effort!" Lee said as he stood roughly fifteen feet away from Genkotsu. Genkotsu smiled, then glared.

Under the roar of the crowd, Tenten's voice could not be heard as she took her scroll, and fired thousands of kunai and shuriken at Konkuro. Konkuro took his sack off his back and threw it aside, and the chakra lines between the two were visible. He burst from the sack, and made no attempt to get his puppet out of the way. The kunai and shuriken connected, but the puppet didn't much care. At Konkuro's bidding, the puppet rocketed towards Tenten, four arms holding knives.

Craters formed in several places as Lee avoided the massive impacts.

"Is this all you know how to do, run?" Genkotsu said with his first words since his arrival.

"Very well then. I will show you the true strength of a taijutsu specialist! Konoha Hurricane!" Lee shouted as he turned towards Genkotsu sharply, lashing out with one leg after the other in a blur of attacks. Genkotsu sluggishly lifted both thick arms in front of him, and absorbed most of the impact. He slid back a few feet, and laughed. Lee's look was of dismay.

"That's it? That's the 'true strength'?" Genkotsu laughed. "You may be fast, but if you can't hurt me it's pretty much irrelevant, isn't it?" Genkotsu moved into a stance, with his right leg back, left arm straightforward, and right arm held in front of his chest, his hands held like claws. "If you think that's good taijutsu, you must have a lousy teacher!" he shouted, and then used his massive strength in his legs to propel himself forward. A crater formed where his foot had been as he lunged at Lee. His movement ended where Lee's just began with his right arm held straight out, palm open, and his left elbow held tight at his side. He laughed again as a loud thud was heard, and the dust left by Lee's backwards flight began to clear.

"Heh, one punch was all it took. Didn't even get my bandages bloody. Hah!" he raised his arms in triumph, and looked at the crowd, who cheered.

Tenten furiously parried the four knives the puppet held as it pushed her back. She leapt quickly to the side, receiving a long gash in her back, but ended up a short distance from the puppet. She threw a dozen kunai in an instant at Konkuro, who forced his puppet to intercept. She was breathing heavily, and was shocked that he got his puppet there in time. She attempted a similar maneuver, running to the opposite side this time, and his puppet mirrored her movements, the odd clacking sound accompanying its motion. She drew several more kunai, and threw them, the puppet intercepting once more.

"Don't you know any other tricks? Throwing kunai won't get you far in these exams!" Konkuro shouted, and Tenten smiled. An explosion resonated from the puppet, and it flew backward. Tenten drew half a dozen shuriken, and hurled them straight for Konkuro. He glared angrily at her, released his connection to the puppet, and rolled to the side, avoiding the shuriken.

"How about paper bombs?" Tenten smiled, and continued to throw various projectiles in Konkuro's direction. She threw several that seemed out of place, landing some ten or more feet away from him in a rough circle.

"You must be getting tired, your aim is getting worse!" Konkuro shouted. Tenten repeated her first attack, using the scroll to summon thousands of knives and shuriken, all aimed at Konkuro. He leapt to avoid the imminent impact, and his face showed relief as he landed on his stomach and slid a few feet. His expression changed to shock, and then he realized he had leapt straight towards one of those strangely placed kunai…with a paper bomb attached to it. His eyes were full of horror as he clamored to his feet, and then the several supposedly random paper bombs exploded.

"What did you do to Lee?" Tenten shouted as she ran towards Genkotsu. She drew two knives and leapt into the air. He spun and backhanded her, sending her sprawling through the air, and she landed awkwardly, skidding.

"Just had to show him something. That one punch probably taught him more than his instructor ever did!" Genkotsu replied. Some crumbling and moving rocks were heard from Lee's direction.

"Don't you ever…insult…my…SENSEI!" Lee burst from the rubble, charging for Genkotsu. Genkotsu turned to look, and that was all he ever had time for. Lee's fist was in the behemoth's stomach up to his elbow, and Genkotsu recoiled, spittle flying from his mouth. Lee dropped low, and shot one foot into Genkotsu's jaw, lifting him off his feet. Lee leapt into the air, rising just over Genkotsu, looking him in the eye. "And I wouldn't advise you to hurt my teammates, either." Lee said as he rolled under Genkotsu, easily avoiding a slow attempt to grab him. "Secondary Lotus!" Lee shouted as he continued to pummel Genkotsu unmercifully in midair. His bandages unraveled, trapping Genkotsu. They began a rapid spiral, upside down, and resounding crunch was heard, as Lee leapt safely away. He ran over to Tenten, who was just getting up. "Tenten, are you alright?" Lee asked as he helped her stand.

"Yeah, I'm fine Lee. I wish that wasn't the case for the big guy over there." Tenten said as Genkotsu slowly climbed from the rubble.

"Do not worry, Tenten. I will deal with Genkotsu." Lee said with a broad smile. "Remember, the Lotus will bloom twice." Lee grinned and walked towards Genkotsu.

"Well, not bad. I suppose your teacher doesn't suck as much as you first let on. Or maybe, you got sick of being weak, and taught yourself that one?" Genkotsu laughed and brushed himself off.

"Gai Sensei has taught me everything I know! I would recommend that you do not insult him, or this fight may end badly for you."

"Hah! I bet you haven't got a single technique stronger than the one you just used."

"Your theory is incorrect, however I will not use my most powerful techniques unless my life, or my ninja way, is at risk, and so, for the purpose of this fight, I suppose you are correct. I do not have any techniques stronger than that. I do not need stronger techniques to defeat you."

"Well, I must have hit you harder than I thought! If that's your best technique, and I'm still standing, what hope do you have of winning? You must have completely lost it if you think you can win."

"You caught me off guard with that attack. I had not expected someone of your sheer strength to be able to move so quickly. It will not happen again." Lee's hands moved to his ankles, and he removed his weights slowly and carefully, laying them gently onto the ground.

"Are those the same weights, Gai?" Kakashi asked as the two friends watched the match.

"What would be the point of that? He needed much heavier weights for him to get any stronger. I threw those old weights away." Guy replied with a wide smile.

Lee smiled, and held his right arm behind his back, his left arm straight out, palm open. "Are you ready, Genkotsu?"

"Hah, ready for what? Taking those weights off will just make you faster. We already know you can't hurt me!"

"Well then, I guess you have nothing to be worried about, do you?" Lee smiled, and took off. Dust clouds filled the arena, and little could be seen of Lee, Tenten, or Genkotsu.

"That little bugger is fast, isn't he?" Genkotsu said loudly.

"That's hardly the case." Guy replied, despite the fact that Genkotsu couldn't hear him. "Lee could move much faster if he wanted to. Genkotsu just better hope Lee doesn't get irritated enough to take the weights off his arms." Kakashi sighed, and watched.

Thuds could be heard as Lee's fists met Genkotsu's body time and time again. The thudding stopped, and the dust settled as Lee stopped moving.

"Pathetic!" Genkotsu roared as he lowered his arms, revealing several scuffs and bruises on his arms and chest. "Well, I suppose its good for me that your teacher didn't teach you anything except how to avoid attacks. I might not be able to catch you, but you can't hurt me either. Looks like this is a draw." Genkotsu said with a laugh.

"I already told you, don't insult my sensei." Lee said, his voice tinted with anger.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize his worthless teachings meant so much to you." Genkotsu moved into his stance as he had before, poised to attack. He shoved off the ground with one massive leg, propelling himself forward once more. He ended in the same pose, but had completely missed Lee, who had stepped just a few feet to the side.

"I would recommend you stop insulting him." Lee said calmly, clearly trying to avoid getting too mad.

"Stop your pathetic whimpering. Your sensei didn't teach you anything a real ninja could use. I don't know how long he trained you, but clearly it didn't do any good." Genkotsu's attention shifted to Tenten, who was halfway across the arena. He moved into his position again, aiming for Tenten. He created another crater with his massive foot, rocketing towards Tenten. Genkotsu's huge grin could be seen just before he reached Tenten, and just as he struck forward with his hand, Lee's foot had connected with Genkotsu's jaw from the side. Genkotsu was lifted into the air, tumbling harmlessly over Tenten.

"Alright, now I am mad! You have insulted Guy sensei time and time again, and now you go to attack Tenten when she is clearly not interested in attacking you! I am sorry you have to see this, Tenten." Lee said as he stood in front of her. He cried out, and ran towards Genkotsu, who was still airborne. He leapt up, punching his chest hard, lifting him further up, then flipping in the air, bringing his heel to connect with Genkotsu's back, forcing him earthward. Lee, still floating in the air, began to unravel his bandages, to reveal another set of immense weights on his arms. Falling slowly just above Genkotsu, he dropped both sets. Genkotsu could be heard hollering in pain as the massive weights smashed into his body while he had lay motionless. Lee dropped to the ground, waiting for Genkotsu to stand. He did stand, with blood dripping slightly out of his mouth, and his chest was badly bruised. He took a moment, breathing heavily, then began cracking his knuckles.

"You've really pissed me off, kid. It's about time to end this." Genkotsu said with a roar.

"I agree. It is time we ended this fight." Lee held his right hand behind his back, his left hand out, palm open. Genkotsu adopted a broad stance, his feet shoulder width apart, perpendicular to the direction has was facing. He roared once more, and pounded the earth. A pillar of rock erupted from beneath Lee, forcing him skyward.

"Earth Style: Stone Fist Jutsu!" Genkotsu cried, and he began pounding the earth rapidly with both hands. Earth wrapped itself around Genkotsu's feet, immobilizing him. Dozens of pillars erupted, altering the floor of the arena, chasing Lee as he ran rapidly to avoid the moving rock. Hatred seethed through Lee's eyes, and he clearly wasn't amused.

"I bet your worthless sensei didn't teach you anything like this!" Genkotsu continued to pound the earth, each time a new pillar would break through the earth, threatening Lee. Tenten had leapt onto the tallest one, safe for the moment.

"You are correct, my sensei did not teach me any jutsu like that. In fact, I am completely incapable of performing even the most basic jutsu. But, I will prove to you, as I have proven to so many others, even one who cannot perform jutsu can become a splendid ninja!" Lee cried, and Genkotsu stopped pounding the earth, unable to find the bushy-browed ninja. "First Gate: The Initial Gate. Open!" Lee cried, and Genkotsu saw one of his pillars begin to fall. It crashed into several others, clearing a broad arc, breaking them as it broke apart itself.

"Now it is over." Lee cried, lifting a second pillar with clear strain. He lifted it above his head with both hands, the pillar going straight up.

"No way. No, there's no way he can open the Eight Gates!" Genkotsu cried, his eyes full of fear. Lee's eyes continued to fume with hatred, and he began to let the pillar fall in Genkotsu's direction, though it would clearly fall short. Lee's arms kept the same position they had when it was above him, hands clasping the pillar, arms forming right angles at the elbow. His body became a pivotal point for the pillar, and just as it became horizontal, Lee roared once more, extending both arms completely, forcing the pillar outward at high speed. Genkotsu, being slow in the first place, but now not being able to move, had no hope of avoiding. It crashed into him, a large portion shattering on impact. The earthen foundations at Genkotsu's feet broke apart, and he was forced into the wall with a terrible shudder around the stadium. The pillar fell to the ground after colliding with the wall, and broke apart completely. Genkotsu, unconscious, fell forward into the rubble, blood stemming from multiple wounds.

"Team Six wins. Medics, clear the wounded if you would. Lady Hokage, it will be up to you. Should we remove the pillars, or leave them here?"

"Keep them there. A little change of scenery should make things more interesting." Tsunade shouted.

"Alright, you've got it." The proctor shouted back. Lee allowed the gate to close itself, and he fell over, landing roughly with a broad smile. Tenten leapt down and helped him stand.

"Hey, Lee, you did great! Thanks for protecting me." Tenten said.

"It was my pleasure, Tenten. I am very tired at the moment, could you help me find a bed nearby?" Lee sighed, and stood up straight as Guy approached.

"Lee, you did great! Nice job."

"Gai sensei!" Lee shouted as he saluted. "Thank you so much sir!" Lee bowed, and Gai gave him the thumbs up.

"Hey Lee, I thought you said the Lotus Blooms twice?" Tenten asked.

"The Lotus Blooms twice, only when it is necessary to protect something dear!"

"That's right Lee. Let's go get you some rest!" Guy said proudly.

I hope you enjoyed the fight! Trust me, the next several chapters are all action! Please review!


	12. Chapter 12 Not useless Anymore

Sorry for the delay! Been busy! Ok well no, I've just been lazy. You see, my gf was out of town, so i was spending a lot of time being lonely, i just got a new job and its 20 minutes away in the car, i started playing this video game i used to play again, called World of Warcraft, and for those of you that AREN'T familiar with it, its addictive, and also, you need to go get it, install it on your computer, and make a character before we all murder you. (btw, thats a reference from the South Park episode World of Warquest. I would never murder you guys. You guys are great! ) ) ANYWAY, without any further ado...adu? adoo? Delay! Without any further delay, please enjoy the newest chapter of By Any Means Necessary!

"The next match will be between Team One and Team Seven! Come on down here and let's keep the exams going." Sakura and Hinata talked happily with each other, and the other two, Ikazuchi, and Subeta, seemed pleased with their team choice, which made sense, as they were both wearing the same headband.

"Alright, assuming you kids are ready" The proctor paused, and all four nodded. "You may begin!"

Subeta walked slowly forward, his right hand across his chest, palming the pommel of his katana, his left hand resting on his right. His partner remained motionless as he crossed the field. Hinata wore her typical jacket, and Sakura's outfit hadn't changed any either.

"Byakugan!" Hinata said, and the odd markings surrounded her eyes as she activated her kekkai-genkai. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, except that there was a reservoir of chakra lying in Subeta's katana. "Sakura" she said quietly.

"Yeah?" Sakura replied, her face completely serious.

"The one closer to us, his sword has a lot of chakra in it. Just be careful."

"Got it!" Sakura said loudly. Sakura didn't draw any weapons, but glanced at her hands. _I hope what Tsunade taught me works!_ She thought. Subeta adopted a long forward stance, with his right foot leading, and his body and head facing the same direction, both hands still on his blade. He let out a deep breath, and closed his eyes. He exploded into motion with a small dust cloud forming around his feet, charging at Sakura. He drew his sword, and slashed with it in one fluid motion. He found himself face to face with Hinata, who had one hand blocking the attack. A thin barrier of chakra protected her hand from the blade, and held it in place. Subeta leapt backward a short distance, and pulled the sword in front of him, directly between his eyes. Once again he charged, and Hinata created the chakra around her hands once more, blocking each strike with lightning speed. He paused briefly, and she took up the traditional Gentle Fist stance.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms! Two Palms!" she shouted, darting in, ducking a single sword thrust, and jabbing Subeta with two fingers from each hand. "Four Palms!" she cried, spinning and striking him twice in the back. "Eight Palms!" She rushed in front of him once more, her hands moving faster now, and struck him four more times. He froze up and stopped moving. "Sixteen Palms!" she continued, striking him faster. "Thirty-two Palms! Sixty Four Palms!" her hands moving with speed to rival Neji's, she continued her barrage. The sound of hand on steel rang out as Hinata's last strike struck Subeta's Katana, which he held straight up and down over his chest. He was breathing heavily, then ducked aside from her, and ran towards Sakura once more.

"Sakura…" Naruto, or Naibun, said under his breath. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue it.

Hinata intercepted Subeta's strike once more, and he didn't stop at one. He unleashed a flurry of blows, raining in from every direction. Hinata took a deep breath while deflecting, and the fine chakra blades shot from her hands, and blocking became that much easier. She became calmer and relaxed, and each attack was negated without any difficulty as Subeta danced around the two, Sakura safely encased within Hinata's ultimate defense.

"Alright, this is no time to freeze up!" Sakura said, and she rolled out of Hinata's shield. Drawing all her chakra to her fist, she swung at Subeta who had paused just for an instant. A bolt of lightning flashed, and Sakura flew sideways. Ikazuchi stood across the arena, hands posed in one of the many hand signs. Sakura slowly climbed to her feet, and Subeta leapt away from Hinata.

"Ikazuchi…a little help would be appreciated." Subeta said as he breathed heavily.

"I'm sorry, I just got a little excited. I've always enjoyed watching a fight, sometimes I just forget where I am." Ikazuchi replied. "Thunderclap jutsu!" he cried, forming several hand signs, and then clapping his hands together.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sakura watched Hinata mouth the words, but couldn't hear her. Subeta looked at Ikazuchi with a look that clearly stated, "I hate that jutsu". Sakura shook her head, trying to clear her ears, but still couldn't hear anything, even though she could see the crowd shouting, probably having the same problem she was.

"Release!" Sakura said, and sound came back as she clapped her hands together. "Heh, I thought that might have been Genjutsu." Sakura stated. "Hinata, are you okay?" she asked. Hinata nodded, apparently still able to hear her.

"Thunderbolt Jutsu!" Sakura heard Ikazuchi shout, and one flew over her shoulder as she ducked. She ran straight towards Ikazuchi, and he held strong. She forced chakra into her fist once more, and punched out.

"Lightning Shield Jutsu!" Ikazuchi said, holding both hands straight out. Sakura's fist connected with an invisible barrier, save the crackling electricity that sparked when she hit it. She punched again, and again, and another thunderclap let out as the shield snapped, Sakura's fist breaking through and clipping Ikazuchi's jaw. He stumbled back, shocked that a seemingly fragile girl had broken his shield. _This technique really does work! _Sakura thought as she smiled.

Hinata's blades of chakra had not disappeared, and Subeta watched them closely. They followed the movement of her hands, and could block his attacks without much effort. He sighed and returned his sword to his sheath. He sank back into his stance, and formed a hand sign.

"Lightning Edge jutsu!" he cried, unsheathing the sword and swinging it up in a brilliant display, and energy crackled quickly across the arena floor, sparks flying in all directions as it rolled towards Hinata. Hinata simply spun around it, and it moved harmlessly past. Subeta smiled, and swung his sword down. Hinata knew exactly what was going on, thanks to the byakugan, and rolled to the side again. Subeta held the sword straight out, with his right arm fully extended as it rolled towards him. He rotated his arm, with his wrist forward, and lifted it up sharply. The crackling lightning rose up into the sky, and he dashed his sword down. It arced, and shot down at Hinata. Lightning exploded as it connected, and dust rolled around the arena.

Sakura was still grinning, and so was Ikazuchi. He formed a single hand sign, and an exact copy of him, a clone, appeared.

_A clone? What is he up to? _Sakura thought. _And which one is him?_ She rushed in once again, forcing chakra to her fist, and threw a powerful punch at one of the two Ikazuchis. It exploded into lightning, and Sakura screamed as her entire body was electrocuted.

The dust cleared around where Hinata was, and she held both of her pinpoint chakra blades over her head, parrying Subeta's blade with her own. Subeta scowled, and placed both hands on his sword. It broke apart into two smaller swords, one for each hand, and he needed no hand sign. "Lightning Edge Jutsu!" he said, and crackling streams of lightning rushed from each sword. He waved the two blades around, controlling the two bolts of lightning expertly. Pillars fell left and right as he maneuvered the balls of lightning, not caring much for the scenery. He repeatedly crashed his lightning with Hinata's parrying beams, getting faster and faster. It was as if the two were face to face, dueling with blades, in the manner that he moved his twin blades, and she moved hers, but they stood some thirty feet away. Subeta spun and slashed angrily, and Hinata parried each incoming attack. Subeta began speeding up, and Hinata began to have trouble, just barely blocking the attacks. Subeta grinned, and Hinata could only think one thing.

_I wish Naruto were here!_

Sakura fell to her hands and knees, breathing heavily. "You shouldn't be so rash in your attacks. Maybe you should have stuck to flower arranging, little kunoichi. It's over. Lightning reeks havoc on your heart rhythms, you're going to have some serious problems with blood circulation, which will make your techniques sluggish." Ikazuchi commented.

Sakura stood up. "Maybe you shouldn't be so rash in assuming that I'm out of the match." Sakura said as her left hand began to glow green. She touched it to her chest, and she stopped breathing heavily. "See? Good as new. No problem." Sakura smiled, and Ikazuchi scowled. She ran towards him again, forming chakra in her fists, and he narrowly dodged each incoming attack. He was a small, quick target, and Sakura couldn't get a hand on him. He suddenly rolled and jumped backwards, landing ten feet away. Sakura continued her run at him.

"Thunderclap Jutsu!" Ikazuchi cried.

"Release!" Sakura responded, the deafening roar having no effect on her. Ikazuchi's eyes got angry, and then, Sakura saw a little hint of fear. "You don't have many more jutsu, do you? Either that, or your out of chakra!" Sakura continued attempting to pummel him, and he continued to avoid. Sakura swung wide once, and he ducked low. She threw an uppercut, and he flipped nimbly backwards. She shifted on one foot, drew chakra to her foot this time, and kicked him in the chest. He fell over, tumbled for some fifty feet, and crashed into the wall.

"Yeah, Sakura!" Naruto cried, then remembered he was supposed to be in disguise.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, putting emphasize on 'are'. Naruto resumed his solemn demeanor, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

_Naruto! _Hinata cried. _I'd recognize your voice anywhere! _Hinata's look of despair faded, her strength renewed. She blocked an incoming attack, and tossed it wide. She spun to avoid another, and used both of her beams to strike Subeta's left hand. He dropped his sword in pain, and he shook his hand, trying to cease the pain. Hinata ducked another attack as he tried to keep her occupied, and knocked his other sword from his hand. She swept his feet from under him with her beams, and he fell to his back. She walked up and stood over him. She stared fiercely at him, and he sighed and rolled his head back, thudding softly with the ground.

"Subeta Kiwa, do you give up?" the proctor asked.

"Yeah, I'm done…" Subeta sighed loudly.

Ikazuchi picked himself up from the ground, and quickly hid behind one of the massive pillars left from the previous fight. Sakura's fist appeared above his head as she broke through the pillar. It shattered, and he ran to avoid the rubble. Sakura forced chakra into her arms, and with great effort, pushed a pillar over. Ikazuchi's eyes were shocked, and he held both arms out.

"Lightning Shield Jutsu!" the shield held against the pillar, but Ikazuchi couldn't move or he'd be flattened. Sakura calmly walked next to him and smiled.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sakura said. She forced chakra into her fist one last time, and punched him hard in the ribs from the side. The shield and the pillar fell, and Ikazuchi flew into the wall once more. The proctor appeared to check Ikazuchi.

"Team seven loses. Team one, you win!" The proctor shouted. The crowd exploded into cheering, being mostly leaf Shinobi. Sakura looked up to Tsunade, who gave her the thumbs up. Hinata looked to where Naruto was standing with Sasuke, and he turned his head, avoiding her eyes. She kept her byakugan going, and she knew it was him.

_Oh, Naruto! They said you were gone!_

So, did you guys like it? By the way, it is gonna get kinda Naru/Hina -ish after the first set of exams, so get ready for that! Anyway, please review! I really appreciate it! Action junkies, don't worry, I'm gonna keep it coming!


	13. Chapter 13 Stalementfor now

Alright guys, I'm trying to keep my speed of posting at a reasonable rate, and so here you have the next installment! The action continues with the next battle of the chunin exams! Enjoy! (Don't worry, it does get a little Naru/Hina ish right after the first half of the exams is over!)

"Team three, and team four! You're up next!" the proctor shouted, and Neji, Choji, Kiba and Shino walked onto the field. "Assuming you're all set-," the proctor said, waiting for their nods. "We won't delay any further, and you may begin!"

"Alright, Kiba. This is about becoming chunin, so let's work together, and win." Shino said.

"Yeah, you got it. This fight is all ours." Kiba replied.

"Neji, how do you wanna do this?" Choji asked.

"I will worry about Shino. Deal with Kiba." Neji replied.

"Alright, got it."

"You can begin anytime now…" the proctor said as the crowd booed. It had been a minute or two since he had said begin, and they were restless.

"Sorry to do this to you, Kiba! Expansion Jutsu! Human Boulder!" Choji shouted, and his body expanded. He pulled his arms, legs, and head into his rounded form, and rolled straight for Kiba.

"Heh, don't worry about it Choji." Kiba said as Akamaru jumped off his back. "Beast Mimicry: On All Fours Jutsu!" Kiba cried, and he and Akamaru took on the same shape, that of Kiba, but feral, with claws and fangs. They leapt to opposite sides as Choji barreled through.

Neji ran directly towards Shino, not saying a word. Shino remained motionless, hands in his pockets. Neji dropped into the Gentle Fist stance, just a few feet from Shino.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: One-Hundred and Twenty Eight Palms! Two Palms!" Neji cried out, poking Shino twice. "Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms! One-Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms!" he continued, jabbing Shino mercilessly with his signature technique. Shino's body moved back and forth with each attack, and he stood hunched over as Neji stood back to admire his work. "I had no expectations of it being that easy…" Neji said, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Good, because it wasn't." Shino replied, and he stood up straight. His voice betrayed no sense of pain or weakness whatsoever.

"I should have realized as much. There is insect chitin on my fingertips." Neji said, wiping his hands on the earth. "You used them as pinpoint shields, reacting instantly to my attacks, negating the damage to your chakra points, didn't you?"

"I would've thought you'd figure it out quicker then that, Neji, but yes." Shino replied calmly. "But that's not all." Neji's eyes grew wide, and he grimaced.

Choji rolled back and forth dangerously, and while the two Kiba's avoided easily.

"This isn't going anywhere, Choji! You won't get us like that. Why don't you try a new technique!" Kiba taunted.

"Fine, if you really want me to!" Choji shouted as he ended his technique. "Multi-size Jutsu!" Choji shouted, growing to be some twenty feet tall. His father beamed proudly in the stands.

"Well, I'll admit, I haven't seen that one before!" Kiba shouted, narrowly avoiding a massive footstep. "Guess I have to step it up right from the start! Twin-Headed Wolf!" Kiba cried, and Akamaru leapt onto his back. Chakra spiraled outward from them, and they took the form of a white-furred, massive, two-headed wolf.

"Not bad. Here goes nothing!" Choji cried, drawing a kunai knife the size of most siege weaponry ammo. Kiba roared in response, and they rushed at each other.

"Each time you came into contact with my body, some of my insects crawled onto your body. You can feel them stealing your chakra as we speak, can't you?" Shino said, still standing calmly with his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, I'll admit, it was a brilliant move." Neji said, practically struggling to stand, his face full of pain as his chakra was leeched through his skin.

"It looks like this is the end of your examination, Neji." Shino said, with a hint of happiness in his voice.

"I'm nowhere near done. Rotation!" Neji cried, spinning rapidly. Insects were jettisoned in every direction, and Neji, stopped spinning, breathing heavily.

"I suppose I was wrong to assume you'd be out so quickly. It seems we've both underestimated each other, haven't we?" Shino said.

"So it would seem." Neji replied.

"Does that make this a stalemate?" Shino asked.

"So it would seem." Neji repeated.

Choji stood, holding one of Kiba's jaws in each hand, and the two struggled valiantly against each other.

"Oh boy, I just love it when these fights end up as stalemates…" the proctor sighed. Gaara seemed particularly bored, and Tsunade was involved in a conversation with Shikimaru, who had just recently shown up.

"That's a pretty good trick, Kiba!" Choji shouted, using his immense strength to lift Kiba off the ground and over his head.

"Fang over Fang!" Kiba shouted, and Choji was pummeled backwards into the stands. The crowd cheered, having not been crushed by the two massive combatants was a plus.

Sasuke and Naruto stood in a small viewing area, with just one exit, and a short railing, which both boys were leaning on. They watched the fight with little interest, and Sasuke walked away. Shortly after, Hinata walked quietly up to the area where Naruto had been watching.

"Hi, your Naibun, right?" Hinata asked, playing into Naruto's deception.

"Um, yeah." Naruto said. _Oh man, why is she here? The more I talk to people, the sooner they'll figure it out!_

"It looks like you're the last ninja in the competition, that isn't, um, from the leaf village." Hinata said, her cheeks getting slightly red.

"I guess so." Naruto tried to play it cool, but couldn't help himself. He was who he was. "Why are your cheeks getting red? You're acting weird."

_Oh, Naruto! I knew it was you! _Hinata thought to herself. "Well, good luck." She said quietly and walked away.

"Phew, that was close…" Naruto said with a sigh of relief.

"What was close?" Kakashi asked as he appeared next to Naruto. Naruto fell over, surprised. He quickly stood back up, making sure not to reveal his identity.

"Nothing." Naruto replied.

"Well, around Konoha, we don't usually say things like 'that was close' unless something almost happened that could've ruined something. Makes sense, don't you think?" Kakashi commented. He clearly knew it was Naruto, but wasn't letting on. Naruto, of course, still trying to keep it a secret, was oblivious to the fact that many people were catching on. "Oh well, cultural differences I suppose. Be careful out there, those matches are getting dangerous." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as Kakashi walked away. He suddenly reappeared in front of Naruto, on the railing that Naruto had been leaning on. "Oh, I almost forgot." Naruto's eyes were full of horror, and Kakashi's were closed in his typical broad smile.

"Wh…what?" Naruto asked.

"Good luck!" Kakashi said, and disappeared. Naruto fell over, still shocked.

_Oh man, he almost saw me! I gotta be more careful!_

"What are you doing on the floor?" Sasuke asked as he walked back in. "I can't believe I got paired with such a loser…" Sasuke said under his breath.

"Hey, what did you say?" Naruto said angrily.

"I said I needed a drink of water." Sasuke wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Oh…"Naruto turned back to the fight. Sasuke sighed, and watched the fight, clearly still bored.

"Lady Hokage." Kakashi said as he reappeared in the Hokage's viewing chamber.

"Yes, Kakashi?" She asked. Gaara's eyes turned lazily over to watch the conversation. He hoped it would be more interesting than the stalemate going on below him.

"It is definitely Naruto. I got a good look at his face. He doesn't seem to want to be recognized for some reason." Gaara's eyes showed their first interest in something all day, at the sound of Naruto's name, the little knucklehead ninja who had impacted his life so profoundly by defeating him so thoroughly.

"That little idiot! He must think he's a rogue ninja. If he does think that, why would he sign up for the chunin exams if they were here? And where did he get that headband?"

"I don't recognize the symbol. It can't be from a large village." Shikimaru said.

"Perhaps he made it-" Kakashi began, but then they all leapt away as Choji's enlarged head crashed into the Hokage's viewing area. He slumped out, and shrunk back to normal size, unconscious.

"Yeah! Take that, Choji!" Kiba said with a laugh as he and Akamaru returned to their normal form. "Now to just finish off Neji!"

"Himself" Kakashi finished as they returned to the viewing area.

"Anything's possible at this point. Just keep an eye on him, Kakashi." Tsunade said.

"Of course." Kakashi replied, and disappeared.

"Neji! It's 2-1, you might as well give up!"

"That is correct, it is 2-1, but a friend of mine taught me to never give up, and that is exactly what I intend to do." Neji said, running directly at Kiba, who was breathing heavily from his fight with Choji. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams: One-Hundred and Twenty Eight Palms! Two Palms!" Neji cried, ducking under Kiba's sluggish defense, jabbing him twice. "Four Palms!" Neji continued his barrage.

"Insect Swarm Jutsu!" Shino shouted, and a distinct buzzing could be heard around the stadium.

"Eight Palms!" Neji shouted, Kiba now completely defenseless against Neji's attacks, far too tired from maintaining the twin headed wolf for so long. "Rotation!" Neji said as the insects closed in on him, interrupting his combo.

"Thanks Shino…" Kiba walked lazily over to Shino's side, holding his ribs. Akamaru jumped down, landing in front of Kiba, growling defensively. Neji deflected the thousands of wasps Shino had summoned easily, but wasn't happy about his attack being stopped. Neji charged in at the two, and they each hopped a few feet to the side. He stopped, with each just inside arms reach.

"Gentle Fist Mastery: Twin Palms!" Neji cried, and the view changed. What was seen was the large green circle that was typically around Neji when he performed his signature jutsu, but two large gray circles were placed where Shino and Kiba stood. Neji burst into motion, while the other two seemed to be in slow motion. Neji shot out both hands, jabbing Kiba in the stomach, and lashed out with one foot, connecting with Shino's head simultaneously. He leapt into the air using his one grounded foot, spun around, switched planted feet, and jabbed Shino twice in the chest, kicking Kiba in the stomach. Akamaru leapt at the spinning Genin, and Neji ducked quickly, easily avoiding the pup. He back flipped over Kiba's head, striking his back with both palms, pushing him towards Shino. Kiba wasn't moving of his own volition anymore, being that he was unconscious, and Shino caught him. Neji leapt forward, striking Kiba in the back with one palm while holding his other hand near his head, his index and middle fingers upright, his others curled. A wave passed through Kiba's body, transferring to Shino. Shino's glasses fell off, and his eye's were wide. The two fell in a pile on top of each other, not moving. Akamaru hopped around Kiba quickly, clearly worried for his master's safety. Neji closed his eyes, and allowed the byakugan to fade. He took a deep breath, and waited for the proctor. The proctor checked the three unconscious boys, ruling them all out of the fight.

"Team four wins. Medics, please clear the field so we can go ahead and start the next round. Neji helped Choji to his feet, and brought him towards the refreshments area.

"Alright, round one is over. We will have a one-hour intermission, to let the contestants get their strength back. Teams eight, and five, you have one hour exactly to return. Don't be late." The proctor said as he walked off the field.

Review it guys! Thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 14 I May Have Been Wrong

Alright, short chapter, little bit of plot type stuff going on, no combat. I figured we should take a break from all that violence to get down to whats really important. Ok sorry, that was lame, the fighting is whats important, but we needed a break. Enjoy!

Most of the remaining genin stood or sat in a large room, save most of the losers, being that they were unconscious.

"Choji, nice job out there. You gave Kiba a run for his money." Shikimaru said as he walked in. Choji was stuffing his face with barbecue pork he had managed to convince the cooks to make. His reply was clouded by a mouth full of food, but roughly translated, it was:

"Yeah, but I lost anyway. If it hadn't been for Neji, I wouldn't be moving on!" He swallowed heavily, and dove back in.

"Just get your strength back Choji. In the next round, we'll be fighting Hinata and Sakura. Both of them seem to have improved a great deal." Neji said.

"Thanks, Neji." Hinata said quietly, as she had been just in earshot, standing with Sakura at the other side of the room. He didn't hear her.

"Well, it's not like you haven't improved too, Neji. That last move was pretty amazing, you weren't just fast, you slowed Kiba and Shino down somehow!" Shikimaru replied.

"Yes, my training with Lord Hyuga has proven very beneficial. That was a technique of my own creation. It specifically targets two enemies, slowing down any within the range of the normal Gentle Fist. It is designed to help counter the minor blind spot in the Byakugan." Neji said, his eyes now closed.

"So, it's all Leaf Shinobi in the exams now, right?" Choji asked, his mouth actually empty.

"Yeah, except for Sasuke's partner. His headband isn't any help at identifying him, and he hasn't done much fighting. Their fight didn't last long." Shikimaru replied.

"Yes! It truly is a mystery. I doubt that I will be the one to uncover it, however, as Sasuke will most likely choose me as his opponent!" Lee said as he sat down. "Tenten will be the one to battle with this mysterious ninja.

_There is no way I'm the only one who suspected it. Sasuke is his partner, and teammate! He must have realized it by now. _Shikimaru pondered. "Oh well, I have to get back into the stands. I'm not really supposed to be here. Good luck guys." Shikimaru said as he walked away. They said their goodbyes, and continued the conversation.

"So, does anyone have any clue as to what he can do?" Tenten asked.

"So far, he has used only taijutsu. One was a powerful, single strike, and the other was a mirror image of Sasuke's 'Lion's barrage'." Neji replied.

"Another taijutsu specialist! Oh, I would love to fight him! If only Sasuke Uchiha were not so bent on fighting me himself!"

"You can fight whichever one of us you want, Lee." Sasuke said as he walked up.

"You mean it? You are not still sore about our fight before the chunin exams last time?" Lee said, excited.

"No, it's fine. I don't care who fights who. I don't even know how strong he is, honestly. He probably saved me in our fight, but other then that, I have no idea who he is or what he can do. I wasn't watching him with the sharingan, so I have no clue. The two attacks he used, he named them around dragons, but again, no help there." Sasuke said, shrugged, and walked away.

"Tenten, do you mind if I fight this mysterious taijutsu specialist?" Lee asked.

"It's fine, Lee. You can fight whoever you want to." Tenten said with a laugh. Lee cheered exuberantly, leaping up and down. Neji stood from the table, and walked to the corner where Naruto had been sitting, listening in on the conversation.

"Naibun, correct?" Neji asked, standing near the cloaked Naruto. Naruto nodded. "I am Neji Hyuga, though you probably already knew that in some form or another. May I have a word with you, privately?" Naruto nodded again, and Neji led him away from the refreshment room. "Let's get a few things straight, first of all." Neji said as he closed a door, leaving he and Naruto alone in a room, roughly 15 feet by 15 feet. "What is your full name?"

"Naibun Doragon." Naruto said, trying to mask his voice. _Oh man, what does Neji want with me? Does he know? If anyone finds out, it's all over!_

"You do realize that we are alone, correct?" Naruto nodded again. "Then why do you feel it is necessary to lie to me, Naruto?" Naruto swallowed hard, and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, it's me." Naruto said, lowering his hood, holding his head in defeat.

"Why the secrecy?" Neji asked.

"I'm a rogue ninja." Naruto replied.

"What exactly did you do, that made you a rogue ninja?"

"I killed Sasuke…" Naruto stopped mid sentence, as if pondering the validity of the statement.

"I'm guessing you understand now, that you didn't?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Then why don't we cast aside this charade, and you can compete as Naruto Uzemaki?"

"Well, I can't do that now. Sasuke is, heh, kinda mad at me, you see." Naruto said, his eyes closed, rubbing the back of his head. "If I told him, neither of us would make it past this round. I think, at least until we aren't on a team together, it's better he doesn't know."

"And they said you were a knucklehead ninja. There is truth in your words, Naruto. It is probably best for you to avoid revealing yourself to Sasuke until a later time. However, I highly doubt I am the only one who has noticed who you are." Naruto gasped at this, standing up, his eyes wide.

"Who else knows?" he said, in a clearly upset tone.

"Well, if I know, it's a good guess that Hinata knows as well. Not much escapes the byakugan. Also, there are plenty of higher-level ninja who powers of observation are quite astute; Shikimaru, Kakashi, and more than likely Lady Tsunade as well. Though, it is of little consequence that those last few know. I highly doubt they will reveal your secret."

"Phew, that's a relief."

"There are a few you should tell, however. Two in particular, have been especially worried about you, since you left the village."

"Who?"

"Sakura, not surprisingly."

"Sakura is worried about me?" Naruto's face lit up, excited that Sakura was worrying about him, envisioning a hug upon his return, which made his cheeks blush, but then his brief hallucination became slightly more realistic, with Sakura pounding his head in. "Uggh, I don't want to tell Sakura…Who else was worried about me? Not Sasuke, right?"

"No, not Sasuke, Naruto. You really don't know, do you?" Neji said, a little surprised.

"Uh-uh." Naruto said, dumbfounded.

"Hinata has seemed quite down since your departure. It's quite possible she's been more worried than Sakura has."

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, confused. "Why would she be worried about me?"

"Naruto, do you recall, when we set out to find Sasuke, when I told you that sometimes, your eyes were better than mine?"

"Yeah!" Naruto said proudly.

"I may have been wrong." Neji said, standing up. "The decision to tell everyone will be left to you. I will not interfere with your deception." Naruto fell off his chair, dumbstruck at the insult. Neji walked out silently.

Ouch, Naruto just got burned. Hope you were amused!


	15. Chapter 15 Our Own Jutsu

Sorry it took me so long! Honestly, I have no good excuse, this chapter has been finished for months, even before i posted the first chapter here, but I have been kind of busy! Anyway, here is the next fight in the chunin exams! Enjoy!

"It's time we start round two. Team eight will fight team five!" The proctor shouted. Tenten, Lee, Sasuke, and Naruto appeared on the field. "Are you kids ready?" The proctor asked. They all nodded quickly. "Very well then! Begin!" He cried.

"Very well then! Tenten, I will deal with this mysterious taijutsu specialist!" Lee cried excitedly, and the whole arena heard him.

_Who is he talking about? _Naruto asked himself, looking to Sasuke. _Sasuke prefers taijutsu most of the time, but he's not mysterious…Lee isn't talking about… Me, is he? _Naruto thought back to the only two times he had attacked in his first fight, and realized he had yet to expend any real amount of chakra. _Oh boy…_

"It looks like Lee will be going for you. Watch out, he's pretty quick." Sasuke said, setting his eyes on Tenten. "Either way, it won't take me too long to deal with her. I'll be able to help you, assuming you can stay conscious long enough."

"I might just help you fight her!" Naruto cried. _Oh man, Bushy Brow is coming straight for me, and he thinks I'm good at Taijutsu! Sutaru taught me a few things, but I'm still stronger at Ninjutsu. I should keep my distance if I can!_

"Here I come!" Lee shouted, his face positively radiating with happiness. His weights having never been returned to him, he ran lightning fast towards Naruto, and Naruto could barely keep up.

_Oh boy…This doesn't look good! _

_Boy, use our own created jutsu! It would be impossible for him to predict an original technique! _Kyuubi encouraged.

_Yeah, that might just work! _Naruto thought, drawing chakra to his right hand as he bit his left thumb.

"Yep, no question about it." Jiraiya said to Tsunade.

"About what, and where did you come from?"

"I've been around, picking different angles to watch the fight from. No research to be done today, everyone is fully clothed and watching these fights."

"What is there no question about?" Tsunade said, slightly irritated.

"Oh, it's Naruto." Jiraiya said.

"We already knew that, but enlighten me. How did you figure it out?"

"He's using the Rasengan. Look at his right hand, that's the one I taught him." Jiraiya laughed proudly. "Though, I don't know why he bit his thumb…" Tsunade sighed.

"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, ushering the lightning to his hand, activating his sharingan, and rushing towards Tenten. Tenten spun her scrolls furiously, one in each hand, and thousands upon thousands of kunai and shuriken headed for Sasuke. He rolled nimbly side to side, still focusing on the Chidori.

"He can't be thinking to use Chidori, can he, Kakashi? That's an assassination technique, and Tenten is a Leaf Shinobi! He wouldn't kill her!" Gai asked.

"I hope not, Gai, I hope not." Kakashi replied quietly. "That's not the technique I'm interested in at the moment." Kakashi lifted his eye, and activated his sharingan, watching Naruto intently.

"You think this mystery kid has something powerful in store for Lee?"

"How often do ninja bite their thumbs to perform a jutsu with no effect, Gai?" Kakashi replied.

"Bloodwind Jutsu!" Naruto cried, watching the blood from his thumb stream freely down his hand, then palming the Rasengan between both hands. It dissipated briefly, and then what looked like blood whipped out in all directions from him. Lee cried in surprise, got lifted off the ground, and thrown across the stadium.

"Well, that is certainly some jutsu! It didn't look like there was any room to dodge that one!" Gai said.

"Kakashi sensei, have you actually copied 1000 jutsu with your sharingan?" Sakura asked, staring at him while he watched the fight intently.

"Counting today? 1001." Kakashi replied with a big smile.

Sasuke's impact with Tenten seemed imminent, and she leapt backwards, but Sasuke was quicker. He disappeared and reappeared behind Tenten, the Chidori gone, purely a bluff. Sasuke made the lone hand sign, signature only to Naruto.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he cried, and Sasukes surrounded Tenten. The five Sasuke's swept Tenten's feet from under her with five simultaneous kicks. The real Sasuke kicked her in the back as she lay horizontal, lifting her further into the air. The other four leapt simultaneously, punching her once in the back each, sending her higher. Sasuke and his clones landed, and leapt straight up once more, each rolling backwards in midair as Tenten rolled over, kicking her stomach this time as they each did back flips. Sasuke landed in the waiting hands of his clones, and was thrown upward. He rose high above Tenten, now some thirty feet in the air, and as he dropped, he flipped forward, dropping a heel into her stomach. She plummeted earthward, and Sasuke shouted. "Lion's Den Jutsu!" The four clones leapt high again as she fell, and mirrored Sasuke's last kick, and she fell ever faster. Sasuke plummeted through the circle of airborne clones, one foot extended, his body streamlined, with his arms straight above his head. As Tenten struck the earth, Sasuke's foot met her stomach. Tenten coughed blood, and blacked out.

"That was a superb technique! I see you are not limited to taijutsu as I am; you are a master of taijutsu and ninjutsu! This will be a splendid fight!" Lee called as he pulled himself out of the wall for the second time that day. He charged forward, and Naruto was still sheathed in the blood-red whirlwind. His cloak whipped like paper in the whirlwind, but his face was not exposed. Naruto brought another Rasengan to his hand as Lee charged. Lee disappeared, and then reappeared behind Naruto, lashing out with a brutal punch. Naruto spun quickly, striking Lee's hand with his Rasengan, and the two were forced backward, away from each other. "Amazing! You are even capable of keeping up with my speed!" Lee remarked, clearly having the time of his life.

"No, I couldn't keep up with you no matter what I did to my own body. I had to slow you down, and that's what I did!" Naruto replied.

Lee turned his head slightly to the left, his eyebrow's cocked. "Your voice is familiar. Have I met you before?" Naruto shook his head.

_That was a close one! _

"No matter! This will be a truly amazing battle! I am honored to be your opponent!" Lee said cheerfully as he bowed. "Could I perhaps ask you a favor, before we continue?"

"Um, sure…" Naruto replied, masking his voice. _What is bushy-brow up to?_

"I would like to request that we fight on equal terms, taijutsu versus taijutsu! I would be very interested to see your own style of taijutsu against mine!"

"Fine with me!" Naruto shouted, still masking his voice.

"Fantastic!" Lee cried. He ran at Naruto, who refused to let the wind around him drop. "I understand now, I can feel my body being slowed by your technique!" Lee shouted. Even with Lee slower, Naruto barely kept up with him. "Konoha Hurricane!" Lee shouted after throwing a few test strikes at Naruto. Naruto was able to get out of the way, and struck back with his own technique.

"Dragon Force Strike!" He shouted, drawing chakra to his fist, and punching at Lee's chest. Lee caught the fist with one hand, holding his other behind him. He was pushed back several feet, and he had that typical sly grin on his face.

"Tenten is unconscious!" The proctor shouted, and Sasuke ran towards Lee.

"How unfortunate! Our fight will be postponed! I hope we get a chance to fight in the one on one matches!" Lee shouted.

"Phoenix Fire Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke shouted, forming several hand signs, then holding his hands to his mouth. He shot several blasts of fire at Lee, who ran and dodged each one.

"Rasen-Shuriken!" Naruto hollered, drawing blast after blast to his hands, throwing them at Lee. Lee ducked and rolled, leapt and swayed, avoiding each blast with unparalleled speed.

"Can Lee beat both of them, Gai? Tenten didn't put a dent in Sasuke, so he's still at full power."

"I honestly don't know, Kakashi, that all depends on whether or not he opens the gates. I doubt he will, though, he is much more reluctant to do so than before, and that is saying something." Gai responded, watching his favorite student avoid blast after blast of fire and air chakra.

"Well now, it seems the mysterious dragon lord taught our Naruto some new tricks! Using the Rasengan as a projectile, that's fantastic!" Jiraiya cried. "My student has prospered so quickly, thanks to my previous tutelage, of course."

"Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Lady Hokage?" Jiraiya's eyes had a mischievous twinkle.

"Shut up."

"Yes, Lady Hokage…" Jiraiya's shoulders sunk, and he stared at the floor.

_I will eliminate Sasuke first, so I can continue my battle with this mysterious ninja!_ Lee began to weave his way closer to the two, who seemed to have run out of steam somewhat. He got up close and personal with Sasuke, who barely managed to keep up. Sasuke tossed a quick kick out, and Lee put both hands down on Sasuke's outstretched leg for balance, standing there briefly, then leapt away.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke cried, forming the signs, and using an old favorite. Fire stretched from his mouth, extended out, and attempting to capture Lee. He somersaulted, hand to feet and back again, a dozen times or more as he avoided to his right. Lee and Sasuke again became locked in a furious hand-to-hand combat, and Naruto could barely keep up with his eyes, and hesitated to attack for fear of striking Sasuke. His Blood Wind had long since dissipated, being a strain on his chakra supply. Naruto drew power from within him, and Kyuubi handed it over gladly, for the thrill of the fight. Sheathed in the red chakra, Naruto entered the fray. Assaulted from two angles, Lee managed to parry or dodge both their attacks, and still threw out counters of his own. Lee swept Sasuke from his feet, and then put a palm on his chest, planting him into the ground. Sasuke shot out two sharp kicks, and Lee blocked, but that was the opening Naruto wanted.

"Dragon Force Strike!" Naruto cried, striking Lee successfully in the side. Lee flew sideways, getting to his feet and skidding close to the wall.

"Thanks…" Sasuke said solemnly. Naruto gave him a hand up, and the two watched Lee carefully.

"We're both running low on chakra…we need to bring him down, and soon." Naruto remarked.

"Lee is fighting at a remarkable level. He'll make a strong chunin, Gai." Asuma said as he walked up behind Gai and Kakashi.

"All three of those boys are." Kurenai said.

"So I assume the two of you know then?" Kakashi replied.

"It's just a cloak and a new headband, he's not even using a disguise jutsu." Asuma retorted. "It's not hard to see through."

"I suppose you're right. Subtlety isn't Naruto's specialty."

"You have any tricks that might end this quickly?" Sasuke asked, breathing heavily.

"Well, I suppose three on one couldn't hurt?" Naruto answered, also breathing heavily.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"I've got a summon I can use." Naruto replied. He was surprised Sasuke hadn't figured it out yet, but he wasn't focusing on Naruto. It was Lee he was worried about. Sasuke's only thought was a flashback to the giant toad Naruto had summoned in order to defend Sakura from Gaara.

"Yeah, that'll work. How long do you need?"

"Not long, I just need to gather some chakra. Normally it'd be instant, but I'm running low."

"Fine, I'll get you as long as I can." Sasuke took a deep breath, and drew several shuriken, holding one between each set of two fingers. A nearly transparent wire was connected to each of them, and they began to glow slightly. Lee was stretching out thoroughly, waiting for the fight to continue. Sasuke ran towards him, and Lee charged in response. As soon as the distance was closed, Sasuke tossed the half dozen shuriken he had, around either side of Lee. Not bothering to avoid the wayward shuriken, Lee continued to charge in, throwing an elbow into Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke spit blood, but stayed standing. Lee began to recoil, and strike again, when the wires wrapped around him, and Sasuke held him tight with both hands. Naruto began to draw chakra to his palm, using the scale and the Rasengan to take the edge off the summoning.

Sasuke and Lee were face to face, both motionless. Lee's arms were tight at his sides, trapped by Sasuke's wires, Sasuke's hands were occupied by holding the wires, and this left Naruto completely free to gather chakra, which he and Kyuubi went to with some enthusiasm.

"Sasuke, this will not hold me forever!" Lee said, struggling valiantly against the iron wires.

"I don't expect it to hold you forever, I just expect it to hold you long enough." Sasuke growled. "How long?" Sasuke asked, his eyes darting towards Naruto.

"Not long now!" He would normally have had it by now, but he couldn't let the red chakra go around him, it was as dead of a giveaway as him saying 'believe it!'. "Alright, got it! Here it goes!" he shouted, pulling out his scale, biting his thumb, and forming a Rasengan. He thrust both into the same point on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" Hurricane force winds whipped around the stadium, and many non-ninja spectators began to lose their grip on the stadium. Jiraiya and Tsunade stood strong without any effort, while most others braced against the gale. Jiraiya's hair flew wildly, and he spoke without looking at Tsunade.

"Hmm, so that's why he broke the contract." He mused.

"Naruto broke the contract?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah, he relinquished command of the toads, and now I know why."

A burst of light sprayed forth from Naruto's hands, and Kazen shot from the ground, skyward. He didn't look at Naruto, but at Sasuke and Lee.

"Which is the enemy, boy?" Kazen asked in his typically arrogant tone.

"The one in green. Sasuke is my ally." Naruto responded. "Sasuke, let go!" Lee had just broken free, his arms held wide. He flipped backwards, kicking Sasuke in the chin once, bouncing backward, hand to feet and back. Sasuke stumbled back, and stood next to Naruto.

"Well, this is certainly a remarkable jutsu!" Lee commented. Kazen drew in a quick breath, and unleashed a Rasengan the size of a boulder. Lee dodged to the side easily, and a crater was left where he had stood. Lee ran towards the immense dragon, dodging and rolling around the massive bursts of air and chakra. He leapt up, near its head, and threw out a lightning fast kick. He kicked air, as the dragon faded into nothingness. He landed, and was caught in the back by the dragon's breath weapon. He spiraled awkwardly, and crashed into the wall. The dragon inhaled deeply, and Naruto's face was full of shock.

"Kazen, no, don't kill him!" Naruto cried, but it was too late. A hurricane seemed to burst from his jaws, and a massive spherical torrent of air rushed at Lee, who was unconscious.

"Dynamic Entry!" Gai could be seen, between the blast of air and Lee, his foot fully extended, holding the ball in its place. He spun over, forced chakra into his foot, and booted the sphere skyward. He landed on the ground, glaring at Kazen, dropping into a stance.

"Gai, that's enough. The match is over. Naibun, dismiss the dragon." Tsunade shouted. Kazen nodded, and disappeared. Naruto stood motionless, and Gai picked up Lee.

"Team eight wins. They move on to the finals!" The proctor cried. The crowd exploded into cheering.

"Gai, you can't rush in every time Lee is in danger. I know he means a lot to you, but you just can't do that!"

"Lady Hokage, with all due respect, that beast was out of control. He disobeyed his own master's command."

"That doesn't make him out of control. Gamabunta won't listen to me…" Jiraiya mentioned.

"Fine, what's done is done. Take him to the medical ward. He'll be fine, I'm sure." Tsunade sighed. Gai bowed and left.

"Without any delay, let's get to the final match of the semi-finals! Teams One and Four, please enter the arena!" the proctor shouted once Lee and Tenten were taken off the field. Kazen disappeared as Naruto and Sasuke walked off the field.

"Sasuke, you did so well!" Sakura said as she passed Sasuke. Sasuke just held his head low, ignoring her, his eyes closed.

_Should I congratulate him? _Hinata asked herself. Naruto walked by her, and she said nothing. _Oh, Naruto!_

So? What did you think? A decent fight, i hope! Please review!


	16. Chapter 16 Another Prodigy

ok! Sorry it took so long, but i hope you enjoy the chapter! It's kinda short, but action packed! Enjoy!

Chapter XV

"Alright, Team one vs. Team four! Are you ready?" The proctor asked as Sakura, Hinata, Neji, and Choji stood in the arena. They nodded solemnly. "Alright then, let's get this underway. Begin!"

"Deal with Sakura. I will fight Hinata." Neji said, and without waiting for a reply, he dashed off.

"You fight Choji. I'll fight Neji." Hinata said to Sakura, almost simultaneously. She dashed straight to Neji. They fought at full strength, without any hesitation. Blue chakra burst around their hands each time one of them struck the other's hands, as they struck, parried, dodged, and counter viciously. Neither seemed to be gaining any ground.

"Lady Hinata." Neji said flatly, sending a flat palm directly at her chest.

"Neji." She replied, arching her back to duck the blow, retaliating with a swift jab to the arm, which Neji palmed to the side. A brief flashback of their last fight occurred to both of them, particularly the end, with Hinata lying unconscious, beaten badly.

"Body Expansion Technique! Human Boulder!" Choji cried, barreling forward, bearing down on Sakura. She drew chakra to her fist, and punched the ground at her feet. She vaulted hand over feet twice, then watched as Choji hit the crater. He bounced into the air with a cry, and Sakura charged her fist once more. She reared back, her fist glowing, as "The Human Boulder" fell to earth. She punched just as he reached arm's length, and his jutsu released, sending him tumbling skyward.

"Genjutsu! Deepest Fantasy Jutsu!" Sakura shouted, forming the hand signs for the technique. Choji sat up, blinked, and then his eyes went wide. His jaw dropped, and he drooled. Visions of barbecue pork surrounded him, and so he just sat there, gorging on the imaginary meat.

"No matter how much I eat, there is always more! This is great!" Sakura walked slowly into his fantasy, smiling. "Sakura, have some barbecue pork! There's plenty!" Choji said happily. Sakura, smiled, holding her hands behind her back. She drew chakra to both fists, and then clasped them together. She swung wide and hard, striking Choji's stomach. He flew into the wall, out cold.

"Hinata, you are much faster than the last time we fought." Neji commented as he narrowly ducked a jab.

"I've been training." Hinata replied. Hinata's eyes grew wide as Neji landed two fingers on her stomach. He spun rapidly, taking his opportunity, and hitting her in the back.

"Gentle Fist Art! Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji cried, continuing with his attack. "Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen-" Neji stuttered as he rolled to the side, evading a powerful punch from Sakura. A small crater appeared where he had been standing.

"Thanks, Sakura." Hinata said quietly.

"No problem, we are a team, after all!" Sakura commented. Neji dashed back in, resuming his battle with Hinata. She hadn't seemed to lose any steam; despite the blows he had struck her. Her eyes blazed with intensity, and determination. Sakura rushed in from behind again, and Neji, though he couldn't actually see her, detected her with the Byakugan, and seethed with irritation.

"Gentle Fist Mastery! Twin Palms!" he cried, striking at Hinata with two fingers, which she narrowly blocked. He lashed out with one foot at Sakura, catching her in the jaw, throwing her off balance. He leapt into the air, rolling over, and spinning, then lashing out at Hinata with his foot that had just been planted. It caught her in the chest, and then he jabbed Sakura twice. He leapt over Hinata, facing her back, and thrust out one palm.

"Ultimate Defense!" Hinata cried, the fine chakra blades forming in her hands, and she held them behind her, blocking Neji's strike. Sakura was dazed, but shook it off, and rushed over, gathering chakra in her fist, leaping over Hinata. Neji withdrew his hand, and reached out to strike Hinata once more, but was forced to roll to the side as Sakura landed.

"You have interfered for the last time!" Neji said angrily towards Sakura. "Your chunin exam is OVER!" Neji dropped into a new stance, and the green and black symbols were visible, the one and only target being Sakura. "Gentle Fist Art: Death Palm. Three Hundred Sixty One Palms!" Neji shouted, dashing in to Sakura. Hinata seemed to react in slow motion, as Neji furiously struck Sakura's chakra points. Sakura's eyes were wide, and as Neji continued, blood began to flow from her mouth.

"He wouldn't…" Tsunade commented, watching the child prodigy violently jab the helpless Kunoichi. "If he doesn't stop long before killing her, be prepared to step in… I understand we aren't supposed to, but I will NOT have any deaths at my chunin exams."

"Three Hundred Sixty Palms! Final Palm, Death Strike! Heart!" Neji's eye's blazed with hatred, and then with shock. His hands stopped only a few inches from Sakura's chest.

"Gentle Fist Art: One Hundred and Twenty Eight Palms!" Hinata cried, her outstretched palm on Neji's back. She jabbed him, no mercy in her eyes. Sakura slumped over, Neji's barrage no longer holding her up. "Two Palms! Four Palms! Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms! Thirty-Two Palms! Sixty-Four Palms! One-Hundred Twenty Eight Palms!" She cried, the last blow striking Neji in the chest, and his eyes still wide with shock. Her last blow hit him hard, with her head bowed, her right arm fully straightened, and her left hand tucked to her side. Neji's body lifted backward, and the crowd held it's breath. Hinata was motionless, her control of her body perfect. Neji was lifted several feet off the ground, and then he leveled out in mid-air, his eyes maintaining the same look. As his back hit the ground, and he bounced lightly, his eyes closed. He did not move. The proctor ran over to check Sakura, who lay motionless on the ground, blood leaking slowly from her open mouth, then Neji.

"Lady Hokage, both are out, but the girl needs medical attention! Team One Wins!" the proctor shouted. Lord Hyuga sat silently in the stands, ashamed that he had ever doubted his daughter. She had finally caught up; she had finally become a genius in her own right. It was not his eyes, however, that she looked to for approval. She looked to Naruto, even if his eyes were masked; she knew he was happy for her. The crowd, after waiting with baited breath, exploded into cheering. She stood in the center of the arena, larger than life. She walked calmly off the arena, and as soon as she was out of sight, in a narrow hallway, she burst into silent rejoice, leaping and reaching her arms out. She stopped, caught her breath, checked to make sure no one had seen her, and walked quietly down the hall.

"Lady Hokage, there is a slight problem." A medical ninja said as he appeared next to Tsunade.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Well, although she is alive, and stabilized, Sakura Haruno is in no condition to be fighting anytime soon. As a medical proffesional, even if she were to wake up by the finals tomorrow, I could not allow her to fight. She is lucky to be alive."

"Very well, thank you for the update…is there anything else?"

"Oh, well…It would also seem, that due to the way the Akimichi technique works, increasing food consumption to counteract their larger bodies, that blow to his stomach…Has rendered him out of shape to battle as well. He's stable, but not conscious, by any stretch of the imagination."

"I see…He was out of the tourney as well anyway. Thank you, and how is Neji doing?"

"No long lasting problems other than a bruised ego, M'lady. By tomorrow morning, or maybe tonight, he will be fine."

"Very well. You may go."

"Of course, Lady Hokage." He bowed, and left.

"Shizune." Tsunade said without looking for her, knowing she was nearby.

"Yes, Lady Hokage?" Shizune said with a broad smile.

"What would you recommend, for remedying the situation?"

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Sakura is out of commission, and I certainly can't send Hinata into the finals alone."

"Well, wouldn't the typical procedure be to have Sasuke and Naruto win by default?"

"Yes, that would be the normal thing to do. What do you recommend, Gaara?" She said, looking to her left, and the clearly bored Kazekage.

"Team them up." He commented, his face still void of emotion.

"Who?"

"Must I explain myself? It's so obvious…" he said in an irritated tone.

"Hinata and Neji? Do you really think that is a good idea?"

"We have to appease the crowd, don't we? They all paid for their seats, and would protest if we didn't proceed to the final match."

"Yeah, assuming they agree to it, it shouldn't be a problem! Shizune, get Hinata and Neji here. Don't give them any details. I need to talk to them at the same time."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." Shizune nodded, and vanished.

"This will conclude the chunin exams for today! Tomorrow, the final match of the two on two tournament will begin at noon! It promises to be an interesting one!" the proctor commented some time later, already notified that there would indeed be a final round.

Sasuke walked away from the person he still did not recognize silently, heading to his lonely home. Naruto wasn't sure where he should stay, he certainly couldn't stay at his own home, but he figured he'd find a place without too much difficulty.

"As many of you know, several members of the last fight we held were badly injured, two of which to the point where they could not fight today. Because the Fourth Hokage decided to not give a win away for free, we had to create a team out of the only two capable of battling from yesterday's final bought. And, because of this, we now give you Team One, Hinata Hyuga, and Neji Hyuga!" the crowd cheered at the pairing. Hinata and Neji had agreed, but neither was particularly happy about it. Hinata was mad at Neji for nearly killing Sakura, and Neji was irritated at Hinata, because he had lost. "They will be fighting Team Eight, which is made of Sasuke Uchiha, and Naibun Doragon! Before we get started, for those of you that are less informed, it has been requested that I give a little information about our final combatants! Neji Hyuga is the child prodigy of the Hyuga's secondary branch, son of Lord Hyuga's twin brother. Hinata Hyuga is Neji's cousin, and has recently rose to be a prodigy herself, having won the bout between the two yesterday!" Neji scowled at this, and Hinata smiled a bit, hiding it from Neji. "Sasuke Uchiha is the only living son of the Uchiha clan, last survivor of the tragedy that diminished the size, but not the legacy, of the prestigious clan!" the crowd exploded hearing Sasuke's name, but he acknowledged it only by closing his eyes. "His teammate, Naibun Doragon, is shrouded in mystery! Hailing from The Village Hidden in the Storm, a previously unknown village to those of us here at Konahagakure, virtually nothing is known about him!" Naruto was glad his façade was still holding up, but it seemed that many of his notable friends were not so oblivious.

C'mon review it guys! Do it up!


	17. Chapter 17 Just Like Your Brother

Alright I've gotten back into my original speed of writing! Let's see how long this keeps up!

The competition is heating up in the final match of the first half of the Chunin Exams. Sasuke, who still doesn't know it's Naruto, and Naruto team up against Neji and Hinata, who aren't too fond of being on a team. With a match up like these, you gotta know the fights will be good.

Chapter XVI

"I'll handle Hinata, you go for Neji." Sasuke said. _He'll lose to Neji, and then I can finish Neji off once he's tired from the fight. Hinata shouldn't be a problem…She only won yesterday because of Sakura._ Sasuke thought. "Oh, watch his hands, they've got a nasty bite to them." Sasuke said nonchalantly. Almost simultaneously, Sasuke activated his sharingan as the Hyuga's activated their Byakugans. Naruto felt a little left out, not having a bloodline trait, or anything special with his eyes, but it didn't matter much. He had beaten Neji once before, and he'd do it again.

_Naruto…Good Luck…_ Hinata thought, even though he was her opponent.

_Naruto…I won't lose this time, I will not lose! _Neji thought angrily.

"Without any further delay, let's begin the final match of the first half of the chunin exams!" the proctor shouted.

"Fire Style! Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke cried, dashing through the hand signs, then holding his hand to his mouth, breathing fire at Hinata. The fire rushed at Hinata, and she stood her ground. She drew a fine amount of chakra to her palms, swiping at the fire, forming a small cocoon where she was not harmed. Sasuke burst through the fire on foot, unharmed by his own jutsu, striking out with a kick at Hinata's head. She ducked, striking upward with her palm. Sasuke grabbed her wrist to stop the attack, spun around over her head, landed behind her, skidding, then pushed off the ground, reversing his direction, and punching at her back. She leapt off the ground, back flipping over Sasuke. She landed on the ground, poised, and the green and black sigils appeared around them.

"Rasen-Shuriken!" Naruto cried after summoning two clones, one to each side. They helped him spin rasengans in each hand, and he hurled them rapidly at Neji. They flew wide, and Naruto caused then to cease their flight, about ten feet away from Neji, forming a circle. He released them, and they shot at Neji.

"Rotation!" Neji cried, deflecting each blast easily.

"Alright, try this! Hidai-Rasengan!" he held both hands next to each other, and both clones began to spin the same ball. It grew to be at least as large as Naruto, and he pushed it outward, rocketing towards Neji. Neji stood his ground once more. He spun quickly to the side, dodging the massive ball. Naruto had rushed up behind the ball, to catch Neji offguard. "Dragon Force Strike!" he cried, and Neji dodged once more.

"Eight Trigrams! Gentle Fist Art! One Hundred Twenty Eight Palms!" Neji cried, jabbing Naruto in rapid succession. He struck the final blow at Naruto's stomach, and he burst into a puff of smoke. Neji sighed, having gotten caught up with his attack and not noticing it was a clone.

"Dragon's Barrage!" Naruto cried, as the land around Neji was showered with clones. They each landed, and shot at Neji.

"Rotation!" Neji shouted, deflecting each one as they attacked, and causing smoke to cloud his fight.

"Hmmm…This isn't working. How about this!" Naruto shouted. "Dragon Tornado Jutsu!" the huge twister touched down near Neji, and he leapt away from it. Naruto dragged his hands slowly through the air as if through thick mud, controlling the twister. The earth around its base was ripped off the ground. Naruto followed Neji's movements with the twister, and it left a path of trenches behind it, a foot or so deep.

"Eight Trigrams! Gentle Fist Art! Sixty-Four Palms!" Hinata said, beginning to strike at Sasuke's back as he climbed to his feet. Thanks to his sharingan, however, he was able to evade the attack, rolling to the side and out of the range of the trigrams.

"Phoenix Fire Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke cried, breathing individual balls of fire at her. She ducked and weaved under or around each one without difficulty. Sasuke rushed at her, still shooting his fire. He created a clone, forming it right in front of him. Hinata palmed the chest of the clone, and it puffed into smoke. Sasuke had leapt over its head in the meantime, and dropped a heel on Hinata's head. She bowed low, he landed, and kicked her into the air. "Lion's Den Jutsu!" he shouted, summoning four clones. They each jumped up to her, rearing fists back. Hinata righted herself in air, and formed the chakra blades in her palms, and sliced through the clones, darting earthward at the real Sasuke. She landed just in front of him, and without touching him, began to thrust her palms in his direction. She forced sharp bursts of chakra out of her palms, and each one impacted Sasuke's chest. He recoiled from each blast, then began to regain his footing.

"This is ridiculous, I can barely hit her." Sasuke growled angrily. "Chidori!" he cried, summoning the ball of lightning to his palm. He rushed quickly at her, and she stood her ground. He stopped just short of her, leapt skyward, flipping over her. He kicked out as he spun around, and jabbed with his Chidori. She had stepped back to avoid the kick, and then to the side around the Chidori.

"Two Palms!" she shouted, jabbing the inside of the elbow that held the Chidori. His lightning disappeared, the chakra interrupted, and she struck his chest. "Four Palms!" she shouted, striking him twice more with the pinpoint precision only available to the byakugan.

"Clone spinning axe kick!" Naruto shouted as a clone slid along the ground, kicking Hinata's feet out from under her, saving Sasuke. Another clone dropped from the sky, kicking her stomach as she leveled out in the air.

_Naruto!_ Hinata thought as she adjusted her body, put her hands on the ground, righted herself, and then jabbed each clone.

"Thanks…" Sasuke said, slightly irritated. _I am stronger than this! He shouldn't have to keep saving me! No more! _Sasuke drew back from Hinata. The black marks swirled around as they expanded, from his neck, to his chest and shoulders, to the rest of his body. His expression was sinister, and it was clear he was not happy.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi remarked, shaking his head.

_Sasuke! _Naruto thought, remembering the day Sasuke received the mark, even if he had been unconscious at the time. He caused the tornado to lunge at Neji once more, then dropped it. "Blood Wind Jutsu!" he shouted, forming the Rasengan and biting his thumb. He forced his bloody hand into the Rasengan, and the blast shot out from him. Neji was not caught off guard by the attack, having expected Naruto to want to slow him down, and remembering the attack being used on Lee. Naruto formed another Rasengan, and charged at Neji. Neji was slower, but was still fast. As Naruto rushed in, he prodded the knucklehead ninja's arm, the same way Hinata had done, ending his jutsu. Naruto leapt away before Neji could continue, and Neji stood motionless.

"Sasuke, what's…what's wrong with you?" Hinata asked, noticing the bizarre patterns. Sasuke didn't respond, and he walked towards Hinata angrily. She ran in towards in, shooting out two fingers. He grabbed her wrist, and bent it backwards. Her face was full of pain, and he lashed out with his foot, kicking her in the chest, sending her sprawling backwards. She stood quickly, a little shaken by his new strength and speed. He continued to glare at her, and she shot a few bursts of chakra at Sasuke. He took off at immense speed, showing up behind her. He kicked out, and she blocked with her chakra blades barely in time. He disappeared, reappearing in front of her, shooting an elbow at her stomach. She leapt a little late, and his elbow brushed her foot. He grabbed it, and dragged her earthward, her head bouncing off the hard earth. He kicked her in the ribs, and she rolled over in pain. He stepped on her stomach, twisting his heel as she moaned in pain. He kicked her in the ribs again, now just toying with her. She wasn't fighting back, and didn't seem that she was trying to get up either. He stepped on her wrist, heel first, and she continued to cry in pain.

"Sasuke! That's enough!" Kakashi shouted as he continued to brutally torment her. He laughed, and stepped on her body as he walked to fight Neji. She lay motionless on the ground. He took off running at Neji, drawing his attention. Naruto ran in from the other side, and they both lunged at Neji.

"Rotation!" He cried, pushing them both away with the sharp burst of chakra. He was breathing heavily now, and although uninjured, he knew he wouldn't last long against both of them, especially with Sasuke using his curse mark.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto cried, summoning hundreds of clones extending in a straight line outward, the only break in the line being at Neji, with some fifteen feet of clearance around him. Sasuke ran in, striking at Neji, and Neji parried. Two of Naruto's clones ran in, slide tackling Neji off his feet. Two more ran in, kicking him as they backflipped, launching him high into the air.

"Dragon Maw Jutsu!" Naruto cried, and the clones began to use each other to get higher in the air. They held each other's legs, forming two long lines, bent at the tip as if they were long incisors. The two massive lines of clones began to converge upon Neji, with Naruto and a clone at the tip of each "jaw", fist's held out.

"Fire Style! Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke roared, standing at the center of the two lines of clones. The blast shot skyward, and from the side, and far away, it appeared that the clones were indeed two massive dragon jaws, and Sasuke's fire appeared as if it were breathing fire. The attacks struck simultaneously, and Neji went unconscious for the second time in two days. He fell earthward, and Sasuke began to walk off the field.

"Team Eight wins the tournament!" The proctor shouted. Naruto ran over to Hinata, helping the medics get her onto a stretcher.

"How do you know the shadow clone jutsu?" Sasuke shouted out at Naruto, who ignored him as he ran to Hinata's side.

"Son, there is nothing you can do. Just let us do our job." The medical ninja said flatly.

"Na..ruto…" Hinata uttered, holding a hand out his way. He grabbed her hand before she was carried away, and Naruto knew, that even though her face was covered in blood, she was blushing.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Kakashi yelled at Sasuke as the Uchiha was walking down a long alleyway out of the stadium.

"I won, didn't I?" Sasuke grinned, the curse mark long gone.

"You went way too far! She was already down, she wasn't even moving, but you continued!" Kakashi yelled as Sasuke turned his back on him. "You know what you're doing, right? You're becoming more and more like your brother everyday, Sasuke!" Sasuke spun on a dime at that, lashing out with a right backhand at Kakashi. Kakashi caught Sasuke's fist with his right hand, palming Sasuke's chest with his left, forcing him into the wall.

"Don't you ever say that! I'm nothing like Itachi!" Sasuke shouted angrily.

"Really? What does that remind you of then?" Kakashi said, motioning his head towards a beaten and bloody Hinata. "Does that remind you of all the people Itachi slaughtered in cold blood? Huh? Does it? Or do you not have a heart anymore? Are you as cold of a killer as Itachi is?" Sasuke broke Kakashi's grip on him, walking away, his head down slightly, his hands in his pockets. Kakashi shook his head.

How was it? Let me know! Review!

Also, just a little footnote, i hope the way i describe the fights is clear enough to let you draw an image in your head. Especially where Sasuke's fighting style is concerned, i get kinda into his acrobatic moves, and they aren't always easily read. Let me know if i need to clear some stuff up!


	18. Chapter 18 My Own Power

Hey guys! I would've posted last night but we had some sprinklers go off in the dorm! The IT room got wet and the internet was down for the night. Anyway, Here we are, chapter 17!

OK! The first half of the chunin exams is over, leaving the combatants a month to sharpen their skills and rest up. Naruto struggles to keep himself hidden as more and more people discover his identity. Sasuke wrestles with his inner demon (not quite as literally as Naruto) and the stinging words of Kakashi! Is he really like his brother? Hinata slowly heals her wounds in the hospital after her brutal beating at the hands of Sasuke. Here we go, chapter 17! Enjoy!

"There will be one month between now and the second half of the chunin exams! Anyone who lost in the first round is disqualified, and thus, our remaining contestants are as follows: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Neji Hyuga, Choji Akimichi, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Naibun Doragon! Report back one month from now!" the proctor cried, and with that he left. The stands began to clear, and everyone made their way out. Naruto walked aimlessly through the village, and it began to grow dark. As he walked down a street, he was pulled into an alley by a strong hand. Naruto began to cry out but was silenced by a hand over his mouth.

"Mada Zudooru!" Naruto said, his voice muffled, but he recognized the man. Sutaru took his hand off Naruto's mouth, and stood there.

"You did well, but you used every technique I taught you. You need some new techniques if you are to make it any further." Sutaru said.

"Alright, lets do it!" Naruto cried, excited.

"We need to get out of Konaha for the time being. Let's go." Sutaru walked out of the alley, and Naruto followed at his heels.

"Wait, Master Sutaru, will there be time for me to check on some people in the hospital each day? It is kind of important."

"I suppose if you must, a month will be more than enough time to teach you what you must be taught."

The next day, Naruto was at the hospital before sunrise. He was told by Sutaru to return quickly, and to maintain his facade. He stood outside Sakura's door, and was about to enter, but hesitated. He imagined Sakura leaping out of bed and pounding his head in, repeatedly...He didn't feel like visiting Sakura. He walked to the next door over, where he had been told Hinata was staying. She had a lot of broken bones, as he had been told, but she was concious and would be fine. He entered her room without hesitation, and saw her lying there, asleep, bandages all over her arms and face.

"Hinata..." Naruto said quietly.

"Naruto..." she replied weakly, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"So you do know, Neji was right..." Naruto sighed. He locked the door behind him and lowered the hood, revealing his face.

"Naruto...they said you were gone, and wouldn't be coming back..." Hinata said.

"Well they were wrong...I was mistaken, I thought I killed Sasuke, but since I didn't there is no reason for me to not be here. I didn't really know that when i came here for the exams, and thats why I'm in disguise."

"So, will you stay?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know...There is still more training i have to do with my new sensei."

"You should...stay." she continued. "I wish you would stay, Naruto."

"What? Why do you want me to stay?" Naruto had a face that suggested one part suspicion, two parts density.

"I've...I've wanted to tell you for a long time, Naruto..."

"Tell me what?"

"Well," she began. "You know how, um, how i blush, when we, um, well, touch, or, um hug?"

"Yeah?"

"Miss Hyuga, your breakfast is here!" someone from outside said. "Why is this door locked? Oh there's my key." Naruto's eyes grew wide, and he went to leave. He hesitated before jumping out the window, and squeezed Hinata's hand gently, then left.

"Leave the window open for me, I'll be back, I promise."

"Oh, Naruto..." She said with a sigh.

"Who are you talking to, hun?" a nurse asked as she entered, smiling widely.

"Oh, um, no one...Just thinking out loud."

"Oh my goodness, was this window open all night? You must be freezing!" the nurse walked over to the window after setting the tray she had been holding on the bed.

"No, leave it open! I like the breeze." Hinata said loudly, and then recoiled, pain dashing through her lungs and chest.

"Alright, today, you learn your third summon, Naruto." Sutaru said.

"ALRIGHT! Which one is it, tell me!" Naruto jumped for joy.

"Maunten, the earth dragon."

"Oh, i was hoping for Fire..."

"Kouen would kill you, he is not so hospitable to masters as his siblings. You will learn Maunten, then Denkou, and then, some great length of time later, you will learn Kouen."

"Fine...Alright, let's do Maunten."

"I thought you'd see it my way." he drew a scroll out, along with a fine knife. "Here, sign your name. You know the drill." Naruto pricked his thumb without hesitation, signing his name in blood.

"You have gotten much stronger, with a little effort on Kyuubi's part, i doubt you will need any help with this summon."

"You got it! Here goes nothing!" Naruto became sheathed in Kyuubi's red chakra, and he felt it coursing through him. "Summoning Jutsu!" He shouted, forming the hand signs, and dropping his hand to the ground. The sigils formed around his hand, and the earth around him shook. A mountain seemed to break from the earth, moving skyward, The mountain shattered as it reached its pinnacle, and there stood Maunten, with his dull tan scales, massive wings, and thick, muscular body.

"Sutaru, how dare you teach the whelp to summon me!"

"He has already earned the right to summon Kaiyou and Kazen. You will be no different." Sutaru replied.

"We shall see! Little boy, are you ready to undertake MY task?" Maunten roared.

"You got it! I'll get this one down without a problem! Throw whatever you've got at me!" Naruto said bravely. Maunten raised a single claw, and plunged it into the earth, then pulling back, holding a massive boulder.

"You are to bring this boulder to the top of that mountain." Maunten motioned to a nearby mountain, standing alone against the sky. "I will be waiting!" Maunten, lifted his massive wings and with a few heavy flaps, lifted off from the ground, and flew towards the mountain.

"He's kidding right? How am i supposed to move this stupid thing!?" Naruto shouted.

"Think about it, I will return when you have accomplished the task." Sutaru walked away and seemed to meld into his surroundings.

"Stupid dragon! What a jerk! This thing is huge!" Naruto commented. With a sigh, he put both hands on it, and pushed, to no avail. "Wait, this always works! Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto cried, summoning a dozen clones to his aid. "Alright, let's do this!" With the help of his clones, he managed to get the boulder rolling slowly. It was long and slow work, but by nightfall, he had made it...to the bottom of the mountain. Covered in sweat, he was exhausted. He stopped moving, and sat down, leaning against the boulder.

"Alright, nice work for today, guys...Take a break..." the clones disappeared at his words, and he fell asleep.

He climbed into Hinata's hospital room at dawn, and she was awake and waiting for him.

"Naruto." she said with a smile.

"Hey, Hinata, thanks for leaving the window open." He walked over and locked the door again.

"You said you'd be back, and I know you never go back on your word." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Haha, yeah i guess thats true." Naruto sat on the end of her bed. "So, what were you telling me yesterday?"

"Oh, I...I don't remember." Hinata's bravery seemed to have faded.

"It was something about you blushing, i remember! I was right here, too!"

"I really don't remember, sorry."

"You have to remember! Come on Hinata, it seemed like it was really important to you!" Naruto said as he grabbed each of her hands in one of his. "Please! Tell me!" he bowed his head, clapsing her hands in his next to his head.

She turned bright red, then fainted. "Hinata? Um, Hello? Hinata? You alright?"

"You shouldn't bother people while they are in the hospital, Naruto." Jiraiya said as he appeared in the room.

"PERVY SAGE!?" Naruto cried, falling off the bed with a thud.

"How many times did I tell you not to call me that!?" Jiraiya shouted, clearly angry. He composed himself and took a deep breath. "What are you doing here, Naruto?"

"I'm visiting Hinata. I felt bad because my teammate did this to her."

"Yeah, Sasuke went overboard. He still has little or no control over that curse mark. Someone should do something about it." Jiraiya commented. "How have you been doing, kid?"

"I've been alright, i've been training all day, every day, since Master Sutaru took me in."

"I can tell you've learned a lot of new techniques. He must be quite the teacher."

"Yeah, I have learned a lot of new techniques. He's much more distant than you were, pervy sage. He's all teacher, no friend."

"I get you. I know you've always tended to have a strong bond with your senseis, particularly Iruka sensei."

"Yeah, yeah i have." Naruto was still sitting on the floor, looking at the ground.

"How about you let me treat you to some ramen before you continue with your training, Naruto?"

"I think I need to get back to Master Sutaru. He's very impatient."

"Naruto Uzemaki, turning down ramen? You have changed." Jiraiya said with a smile. "Fine, meet me outside this building tomorrow before sunrise, I'll make sure Ichiraku opens a bit early, alright?"

"Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow, Pervy Sage!" Naruto said as he climbed out the window, refitting his hood.

"That little idiot..." Jiraiya shook his head and smiled. He climbed out the window after him, leaving Hinata alone.

"Alright, how do i get this stupid rock up this mountain?" Naruto asked himself as he stood at the bottom of the mountain. "This is ridiculous! The other tests I can understand, but this one just isn't fair!"

"Take your time. You have a week or two." Sutaru said as he stood near him.

"But, there is a month before the exams continue, isn't there?"

"Yes, but you still need to learn Maunten's earth style techniques, and then learn to summon Denkou, as well as his associated techniques."

"Wow, two dragons in one month? And then I learn, fire, right?" Naruto asked, beaming.

"No. Not for a great deal of time, Kouen will kill you." Sutaru shook his head and walked away. "I'll be back later to check on you." Sutaru said with a wave, and faded into the woodlands.

"Alright, now i can focus on this stupid rock. Arrg, it shouldn't be this difficult!" Naruto said, racking his brain.

"Having trouble, Naruto?" Kakashi said as he appeared, sitting on top of the rock. Naruto's eyes bulged and he fell over, dumbstruck.

"You really gotta stop sneaking up on a guy like that!" Naruto shouted, clearly angry.

"Wait, you know its me?"

" You're not wearing your hood." Kakashi said. "What are you trying to do?" Kakashi asked with a yawn as he lay back on the rock.

"I need to get this rock up that mountain."

"Why do you need to do that?" Kakashi asked.

"Because there is a dragon up there who needs to be taken down a peg!" Naruto shouted angrily, looking up the slope.

"Thats right, i saw you summon a dragon earlier. This is for a different one, I assume?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, this one is earth, that one was wind."

"That much i knew." Kakashi sighed. "Well, good luck Naruto." Naruto was left alone with his thoughts. Naruto sat down and closed his eyes, thinking hard.

_What do you think? _Naruto asked Kyuubi.

_I seem to remember one time in particular, that exemplified your greatest feat of strength. _The fox replied.

_Oh yeah? When was that? _Naruto asked, his memory a little foggier than Kyuubi's.

_When you fought Sasuke, remember? _Kyuubi continued. Naruto had a brief flash back to that terrible day, from the chase through the woods, his fight against the sound four, and his fight with Sasuke at the Valley of the End.

_You want me to use your strength, not my own. _Naruto said, his enthusiasm diminished.

That will allow you to finish the task, and learn to summon the dragon that much faster.

_No, I think I've got an idea. I don't need to use your strength! I have my own! _Naruto stood up straight. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He shouted, and hundreds of clones popped up around him. "Alright guys, here's the deal! Don't lose a single piece of the rock, got it?" The Naruto's all nodded. "Rasengan!" He shouted, using a nearby clone to summon the vortex. He forced his hand into the massive boulder, and the rasengan shattered the boulder. Shards went flying in every direction, and the clones exploded into motion, each grabbing a sliver of the boulder. "Nice work, guys! Now let's go see Maunten!" Naruto said as the group charged up then mountain, taking extra care to not lose their slivers of rock.

When they reached the summit, Maunten was asleep, his snores issuing forth gale force winds. Naruto walked brazenly up to the slumbering titan, and poked his nose.

"Maunten…wake up! I've got the boulder!" Naruto shouted as he giggled in triumph. The dragon continued to slumber, unaware of his presence. "Maunten, come on! Wake up! I have the boulder!" Naruto poked the dragon's eyelid, and it opened, his eye alone as big as Naruto. The dragon stood up slowly, and stretched it's wings.

"I do not see a boulder, whelp! You have failed my test, and so you shall never be my master.

"I have the boulder." Naruto said as he laughed. "It's right here!" And all the clones held their slivers up.

"That's hardly what I meant."

"It doesn't matter what you meant, I've got the entire boulder here, just like you asked!"

"Well done, Naruto." Sutaru said as he walked over. "Maunten is yours to summon now, whether he likes it or not." Sutaru said as he looked to Maunten.

"Yeah! Alright Maunten, I guess I'll see you around sooner or later!" He said with a grin.

"Take caution in summoning me, boy! Hopefully you will choose later as opposed to sooner." Maunten stretched once more, and disappeared.

"Alright! I got it in two days! Denkou will be no problem!" Naruto shouted.

"That all depends on the task he decides to give you, Naruto." Sutaru walked away. "Come back tomorrow, and we will work on Maunten's techniques before summoning Denkou." Naruto sighed, and fell onto his back.

"Boy, summoning that many clone s really takes it out of a guy."

How was it? Review, please? I want to hit 50 reviews soon! That'd be so great guys! Please, review it up! You guys rock, bye!


	19. Chapter 19 Dragon Lord vs Akatsuki

Hey guys! Time for a new update. You know, these stories are just about the only things i don't procrastinate about! Anyway, i hope you guys enjoy!

"Good morning Naruto." Jiraiya said as Naruto strolled towards Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"Good morning, Pervy sage." Naruto said with a smile.

"I guess I'll allow it this once." Jiraiya said as he ruffled Naruto's blonde spikes. Naruto cringed, but allowed it. They walked into Ichiraku, and the storekeeper yawned.

"I don't normally open this early, but when I heard Naruto, my best customer, was back in town, I figured what the hell." He said with a smile.

"Thanks old man!" Naruto said. "One bowl of-"

"Here ya go." Teuchi smiled as he passed a bowl of Naruto's favorite dish to him.

"Wow, you guys are good!" Naruto dug into the bowl as Teuchi handed one of the same bowl to Jiraiya.

"Good morning, Naruto." Iruka said as he walked into the shop. "Thanks for the invitation, Jiraiya."

"Iwugga Senshay!" Naruto said happily with a mouth full of ramen.

"It's good to see you too, Naruto." Iruka said with a laugh. Naruto sucked down the mouthful of noodles and burped.

"Pervy sage! You didn't tell me you were going to invite Iruka sensei!"

"Well I knew this was your tradition, so I figured it was only appropriate."

"How is your new sensei treating you?"

"Madda Zoodaru id whelly dong!" Naruto said, mouth once again full of ramen.

"I see, I saw your new techniques, they seemed to do the trick."

"He just taught me to summon another dragon in the past few days! He said that we'll work on a fourth before the chunin exams pick up again."

"A fourth? Which one had you already learned?" Iruka questioned.

"And how did Sutaru get around the one contract per ninja rule?" Jiraiya asked.

"Kaiyou is the water dragon, she wasn't too useful in the fights because her ability is to heal wounds, and the jutsu associated with her aren't useful against one skilled enemy. I don't know about the contract rule, but all the dragons are siblings."

"I see, because they are all in the same family, they can all be summoned, even though each is a powerful enough entity to require it's own scroll."

"So we saw Kazen, air, does that mean there is an earth, lightning, and fire as well?"

"Yeah! He just showed me Maunten of earth! Denkou is lightning, and Kouen is fire. He won't teach me fire though."

"Why's that?" Jiraiya asked.

"He says Kouen would kill me. He doesn't much care for being mastered, apparently."

"Sounds like Sutaru might actually care about you, Naruto." Jiraiya said as he sipped on a drink.

"Maybe! He sure has a funny way of showing it though. But, I've got to get going!"

"Where are you headed, Naruto? More training?"

"Nah, I've got to go see Hinata before I train! I was Sasuke's partner, and I didn't stop him, so I feel kinda guilty."

"I see. Well, it was good to see you, Naruto." Iruka said with a smile. Naruto smiled, waved, and flipped his hood over his head. He looked around the street, and quickly ran off.

"What do you think of this Sutaru?" Iruka asked.

"He's definitely powerful, there isn't any question about that."

"You fought him, right?"

"Yes, Kakashi and I, as well as Gamabunta fought against him, and had him on the ropes until he summoned all five dragons with one jutsu. We knew Naruto was still alive, so we decided we could leave him be."

"All five dragons in one summon?"

"All five."

"Do you think he will teach Naruto that technique?"

"I can only imagine he will, but there are a lot of techniques he will learn before then."

"Do you think he sincerely wishes to train Naruto?"

"I don't know, there certainly could be an ulterior motive. What did you have in mind?"

"You're the one who has met the guy. If there is something, I'm sure Naruto is clueless." Jiraiya shook his head and sipped more tea.

"I suppose only time will tell." Jiraiya commented as he stood up and walked out of the shop.

"Naruto…be careful." Iruka said as he ordered a bowl, sitting alone with his thoughts.

"Good morning Hinata." Naruto whispered as he climbed in the window.

"Good morning, Naruto." Hinata said as she turned her head to greet him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better." Her cheeks went rosy red for a moment as she looked away from Naruto. "How is your training going?"

"It's going good! I should be able to win the second half without any trouble!" Naruto said with a broad grin. "Will you be able to compete?"

"The doctor's said I should be able to compete, but they don't recommend it. The chunin exams don't seem to agree with me very well."

"What do you mean?"

"First Neji, and then Sasuke."

"Oh…"

"They say if I keep getting hurt like this, I might end up like Lee did after his fight with Gaara, and I won't be able to be a ninja at all."

"Don't worry, Hinata, I'm sure you'll be fine! You came back to win against Neji this time, so you'll do the same to Sasuke! I sure don't want to fight him…" Naruto said as he looked at the ground.

"Why not?"

"Because I beat him…I know he isn't too happy about that. I beat him twice. He won't stop at unconscious next time. I think one of us will end up dead if we fight."

"If he's so determined to get stronger, then you will have to fight him, Naruto."

"How do you know?"

"Because there isn't anyone in the exams that can beat either of you."

"Oh, thanks Hinata!" Naruto said with a broad grin as he grabbed one of her hands. She blushed and turned away.

"Oh, Naruto…" Hinata said quietly.

"Why is this door locked every morning? I keep telling them to leave it unlocked…Uggh, where's my key?"

"Oops! That's my cue! Bye Hinata!" Naruto said as he jumped out the window.

"Naruto…Be careful."

The door opened and a nurse strolled in with a cart that held a delectable breakfast on it. "Good morning dear." She said as Hinata sat up. "Are you sure you want that window open? It must be awful cold at night."

"No, it's fine. I like the breeze." Hinata said with a smile.

"Alright, Master Sutaru. I'm here, what are we going to learn today?" Naruto said as he strolled into the clearing where they had agreed to meet each morning. The elderly ninja was nowhere to be found, and Naruto looked around the clearing, confused. "There's no way he's late…" Naruto said in shock. Naruto turned barely in time to see a massive, three-bladed scythe traveling through the forest, destroying anything in its path. He ducked, avoiding it narrowly, and stood to see Sutaru leaping towards him. His right arm was bloody, and hung at his side. Two robed figures followed him, and Naruto noted their attire to be similar to Itachi's, Sasuke's brother. One held a long rope that was connected to the scythe, and the other held a long katana in one hand.

"Why we are wasting our time with this old man, I do not know."

"The bounty, Hidan. Money is the only dependable thing is this world, and Sutaru the Dragon Lord happens to have a very high bounty. Not since my fight with the First Hokage have I had a chance to earn so much money."

"Fine then, stop wasting my time, Kakuzu, and let's just kill him."

"Master Sutaru!"

"Naruto, you may be of some use to me after all. You will help me destroy these two!"

"Alright, you got it! He said he fought the First Hokage, and anyone who wants to collect a bounty on one of the Hokage's is not the kind of person I want around!"

"Very good. Kyuubi, do not hold back." Sutaru said as he stood next to Naruto, battle ready.

"Kyuubi?" Hidan asked. "The Nine-tailed fox? Where is he? This may not be a useless battle afterall." Naruto responded by pointing into his chest, and glaring. "While not our target, I will capture you here and now. Jashin, forgive me." Hidan said as he took his necklace out, closed his eyes, muttered a few short words, and placed it back under his robe.

"Bring it on! You guys aren't so strong!" Naruto shouted.

"Do not be so vain, Naruto. Although they had the element of surprise, they did manage to injure me, which is a feat to be proud of."

"I'm honored, really." Kakuzu said as he looked at his bloody sword.

"Kakuzu, give me his blood so that I may kill him."

"Get your own." Kakuzu said with a smile, and dashed towards Sutaru.

"Fire Style! Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Sutaru shouted as he formed several hand signs, ending with the dragon seal, as was typical for his jutsu, in front of his chest. A stream of flame burst forward in a straight line, which Kakuzu avoided by spinning to his left.

"Come now, old man, you'll have to do better than that!" He shouted, and Sutaru grinned.

"I doubt it." Sutaru said as he spun his body towards Kakuzu, and the wall of flame on Kakuzu's left moved towards him in a broad sweep. Kakuzu strafed further to his left, keeping away from the flames.

"Woah, that's amazing, Master Sutaru! When will you teach me the fire techniques!?"

"Pay attention, boy!" Sutaru shouted as Hidan's scythe came crashing through the trees as Hidan yanked on his rope. Naruto leapt into the air, flipping backwards, and landed on Hidan's massive scythe on one knee. One of his hands was forward, supporting him, and he flew with the massive weapon back to its owner.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, summoning it in his right palm, holding it steady as he came closer to Hidan. Hidan rolled his eyes as he took the rope in both hands, and forced it wide to his right. The jerking movement in the scythe's path caused Naruto to "dismount" and he barely landed on his feet. With only a moment to grab his footing, he rushed forward, Rasengan still in hand. The scythe, at Hidan's expert command, came whizzing back, and Naruto rolled forward under the attack.

"You won't hit me with something that easy to avoid!" Naruto shouted, and he leapt a few feet into the air, crossing the last fifteen feet in midair. He roared as he reared back, and began to thrust the Rasengan forward. Hidan let go of his rope with one hand, and punched Naruto squarely in the face with lightning speed. This reversed Naruto's movement, throwing him backward. He hit the ground, and rolled, head over heels. He stopped at a tree, sitting in a normal position, back to the tree, and head up. He shook the cobwebs from his head, and stood up.

"Don't tell me you're going to go down without a fight." Hidan lamented.

"You haven't seen anything yet, pal!" Naruto said with a growl.

"Your fire trick is getting a bit old, I've got to admit." Kakuzu said as he continued to easily outpace the jutsu, but failed to get within range of Sutaru, because the closer he got, the quicker the fire reacted to Sutaru's movements.

"Well then perhaps you would appreciate it if I stopped?" Sutaru said as he released the jutsu. "A waste of chakra and time anyway." The two stood some thirty feet apart, sizing each other up.

"Much better, thanks." Kakuzu said with a grin, and charged closer.

"Earth Style, Dragon Tremor Jutsu!" Sutaru shouted, and Kakuzu instinctively leaped high into the air, noting the "earth style" jutsu. Nothing seemed to happen, and he landed, unimpressed.

"Don't tell me you made up a fake jutsu on the spot just to make me stop charging." Kakuzu lamented. Sutaru smiled.

"No, just when you've been a ninja as long as I have, and you've mastered your signature jutsu as extensively as I have, you can make your jutsu have a delayed effect, in order to counteract instantaneous reactions from a battle-hardened opponent." Sutaru smiled after his lecture, and four small dragonheads erupted from the earth, biting each of Kakuzu's limbs. He stood, anchored to the earth, then rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Trust me, when you've been a ninja as long as I have," Kakuzu said, putting emphasis on 'i'. "You really hate it when you fall for something like that."

"What a shame. A long life does not substitute for genuine skill and intelligence. Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu!" He shouted, repeating his technique, and the stream shot straight for Kakuzu. Kakuzu struggled valiantly against the earthen dragons, to no avail, and could not even brace himself for impact by blocking with his arms. Sutaru held the jutsu steady for much longer than necessary; just to be sure his opponent was dead. He released both jutsu, and the ashen husk that was once Kakuzu fell to the ground. He turned to face Hidan, and heard something he had not expected – A grunt. He turned to see Kakuzu slowly standing up.

"My age is not a result of being a hermit in the mountains. It is from countless battles, victories and defeats, each of which I took a special lesson to heart. For example, from my battle with the first hokage, I realized never to underestimate an opponent. From my fight with you, I will never overestimate an opponent."

"I caught you in my jutsu, didn't you?" Sutaru said angrily.

"True, but you also turned your back on me, a novice mistake, and you have no knowledge of my abilities, as it would seem, another mistake. Your bounty will require sacrifice on my part, surely, but when I've replaced the lost heart with your own, the reward will far outweigh the cost."

"Enough of your nonsense. You will get no bounty for my head, because you will not take it."

"We will see." Kakuzu grinned once more, and began to brush the soot from his clothing.

Naruto stood up shakily to see the scythe flying at him, which he ducked. It severed the tree he had been leaning against, and he got a bright idea. He drew a kunai and grabbed onto the rope at the same time, and brought it down to slash the rope. Hidan yanked towards himself on the rope, causing Naruto and his firm grip to be pulled closer to him.

"Agggh!" Naruto shouted as he was pulled closer, but he oriented himself in the air, and slashed the rope. He fell to the ground as it snapped, and he rolled several times over, before standing on his feet, within arms reach of Hidan. A heavy hand found itself on Naruto's shoulder, and Hidan punched the child in the face once more. Naruto fell backward a few feet, his eyes closed, his head throbbing. Hidan looked from Naruto's bloody nose to his own fist, and grinned.

"It's a start, but not quite enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your blood. I'm going to need a large amount." Hidan grinned sadistically, and ran towards Naruto. He punched with his left hand and as Naruto went to block, he quickly retracted, and uppercutted with his right hand, lifting Naruto into the air. Naruto soared, and Hidan leapt after him, kicking him with his right foot as he arched, and Naruto cried out in pain before rising higher. Hidan rolled over in midair, dropping a heel violently into Naruto's stomach, causing him to crash into the earth. Dust and earth slowly rose from where he had crashed, revealing a large crater, but no Naruto. Hidan raised a single eyebrow as he scanned the area for the orange-clad ninja.

"Water Release! Water Dragon Blast!" Sutaru shouted, using only a handful of hand seals for the enormously complicated jutsu. The dragon-like typhoon of water rushed outward towards Kakuzu, and he spun rapidly around it, avoiding the attack. Sutaru waved his hands and curved the path of the attack, bringing it back around for a second pass at Kakuzu. Kakuzu shook his head and spun around once more. Sutaru released the jutsu angrily.

"Only a handful of seals, not bad. I heard the second hokage could do it with two, or even one."

"That is correct." Sutaru grumbled.

"Oh? And what makes you an expert?"

"He taught me the technique."

"Does that make you a ninja of the leaf village?"

"It does not. Call me…an old friend of the family."

"Very well then. Here, I suppose it's about time I showed you my real power." Kakuzu reached onto his back and pulled a mask not unlike the anbu, and tossed it into the air. It had decidedly bull-like features, and then burst into a vaguely humanoid shape resembling a minotaur with black skin.

"A summoning jutsu?"

"Close." Kakuzu said calmly as the bull charged Sutaru, shooting a bolt of lightning as it roared. Sutaru ducked under the bolt, and swept his foot out in a wide arc, knocking the beast from its feet. He turned to it, drawing a sword from what seemed like nowhere, and stabbed deep into its back. It roared in pain, before disappearing, leaving only a broken cracked mask.

"I've seen your lightning summon, now perhaps you should see mine." Sutaru said. "Summoning Jutsu!" He cried out as he palmed the earth. Lightning cracked and thunder roared as storm clouds rolled in. The bolts seemed focused around Kakuzu's location, and he ducked and weaved around the bolts as they crashed to earth. "Denkou!" He shouted. Kakuzu offered a curt grin and continued to dodge.

Hidan continued to look around for the wayward genin, ignoring the battle going on to this left. Hidan didn't notice, but the earth at his feet erupted, and Naruto burst from the earth, flowing with red chakra. His fist plowed into Hidan's unsuspecting chin, throwing him high into the air. Naruto landed with a grin as Hidan flipped in the air to land on his feet. He tilted his neck to the right, and then the left, a loud crack resounding with each turn.

"An interesting trick. You don't seem harmed by the fall at all. Thinking about it now, that hole is much too large for the impact. What did you do?"

"I used my two favorite techniques, one after the other." Naruto said, clearly impressed with himself. "I summoned a shadow clone to absorb the impact of the attack, and then used my Rasengan to make the crash seem realistic!"

"Well done, Naruto…" Jiraiya said as he and Kakashi watched the boy fight Hidan.

"It would seem his time with Sutaru hasn't just been outrageously powerful jutsu, he seems to be thinking a lot more now." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"Don't feel bad, Kakashi, I could never convince him to do that either."

"I don't feel bad, but you should. His squad was the first time I ever actually taught students. You're the long-time educator." Kakashi said nonchalantly, and Jiraiya scowled.

"You can't keep dodging forever." Sutaru said confidently. "And even if you do, you can't counterattack if all your time is absorbed dodging."

"That is where you're wrong, old man." Kakuzu took another mask off his back, and tossed it into the air. It turned into a hawk-like creature, with whip like wings, which did not seem sturdy enough to support its weight, but seemed to do the job. It had a strange, four-legged body, and soared through the air, easily evading Denkou's lightning. It opened its mouth, and accompanying it's high pitched screech were gale forced winds that shot out in a cone towards Sutaru.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Sutaru shouted out, and Kazen rose from the ground, the gale that came with his summoning shielding Sutaru. "Any element you can throw at me, I can defend against. You cannot win."

"You assume the battle is over because I have yet to unleash my full power, a mistake you will soon regret."

"Do they not realize how close they are to Konaha?" Kakashi asked.

"Apparently not. Should we intervene?"

"Naruto and Sutaru appear to be doing fine at the least, but two ninja this strong could be problematic. I don't much care for Sutaru, but if Naruto gets into trouble, be ready to jump in."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Until then…" Kakashi said.

"Yeah?"

"When is your next book coming out?" Jiraiya grinned slyly.

"Soon my friend, very soon! I have a lot more time to do research now that I'm not training anyone…" Kakashi nodded, and turned his attention back to the fight.

"Dragon Thunderclap Jutsu!" Sutaru shouted, finishing the jutsu by clapping his hands together.

"Well that was a waste of a jutsu, it didn't do anything!" Kakuzu said, and then his eyes grew wide.

"Can you read lips?" Sutaru said sarcastically. Kakuzu scowled, and resumed his dodging.

"Rasen-shuriken!" Naruto shouted, summoning sphere after sphere of air infused chakra to his palms, hurling them at Hidan. Hidan prepared to dodge, but Naruto stopped them as they got close to him, and had them circle him. He leapt into the air, but the spheres followed his movements. He slashed out at one with the scythe that he had regained, and they all shot into him. Blood shot from every direction, and Hidan fell to the ground. One leg and both arms were separated from his body, while his body was horribly mangled. He clawed at the earth, pulling his tortured body towards Naruto.

"You…little whelp!" He coughed, dragging himself. "I will…kill you for …this…" Hidan continued to crawl. Naruto was shocked that he had survived, and couldn't bring himself to move. Hidan grabbed Naruto's foot, and the boy came to his senses, leaping away. "Kakuzu…bind my wounds….this instant…" He demanded. Kakuzu, of course, was deaf, not to mention preoccupied, and could not aid his partner.

"Dragon Tornado Jutsu!" Naruto shouted, causing the twister to land on Hidan. He hollered in pain as the twister dug into his back, shredding his clothing. Blood sprayed in all directions, and Naruto fell to a seated position, breathing heavily.

"You…rotten…brat…" Hidan coughed out. He had no strength left to drag himself towards his foe, but managed to shout a stream of obscenities.

"What are you?" Naruto said in horror.

"I…will see…you to a burning…grave!" Hidan continued to curse Naruto's soul. "The dark lord Jashin will claim your soul, child…" Hidan coughed blood, and held his arm out towards Naruto, his hand opening and closing as if to strangle the child. Naruto was in a seated position, his eyes wide, and he slowly pushed himself away from the immortal with his feet.

Kazen quickly dispatched the bird mask with several, enormous, and accurate Rasengans. This left Kakuzu with only one mask on his back, one that looked like a tiger, and he seemed reluctant to use it. He continued to avoid Denkou's blasts, and picked up the speed of his movements as Kazen added his own artillery to the battle.

"You have lost this battle, Kakuzu. Admit defeat, and perhaps I will give you a merciful death."

"I decline death as an option." He said as he spun around a blast of pressured air.

"What option do you have? You can continue dodging, and eventually suffer a painful death, or just admit defeat and I will end your miserable life now." Sutaru said with a sigh. "And by the way, I've figured out your little mask scheme, so I will not be fooled into walking away after one killing blow"

"I can live to fight another day." Kakuzu said, and his body broke into several segments, connected narrowly by long black threads, then reformed into a black spider, roughly the size of his human form. It skittered off, much faster than he could have moved before, and fled the battle.

"Naruto, well done. These were not easy opponents."

"You and your master, and all of your village shall die, demon fox!" Hidan shouted. Sutaru strode over to the immortal and stood over him.

"It would seem I am not the only one who seeks immortality."

"My inability to die comes from my faith, fool!" Hidan shouted. Sutaru placed a boot firmly on the side of Hidan's head.

"Faith, hmm? No, that is not how I will achieve my immortality. I will achieve it through strength of being, and of will, not faith in a false god."

"Rotten blasphemer, I will see to it that you both burn in a sea of unholy fire!"

"You won't be around much longer, cretin." Sutaru said, and then removed Hidan's head with a sword he carried.

"You do not seem to understand, fool!"

"Perhaps you are right, but you say your power comes from faith, and if you cannot move, or interact with your environment, your god's favor in you will fade, and then you shall die without his blessing." Sutaru picked up Hidan's head by the hair, and tossed him into the bushes. "Jiraiya, Kakashi, take him back to Konaha and protect him from Kakuzu. He asked for his help earlier, so it may be possible for him to heal the wounds. I appreciate you two intervening, by the way."

"No problem." Jiraiya said as he stood up. Kakashi stood next to him.

"If you're interested in taking me in, now would be the time. I won't try to pretend I have much energy left."

"The fifth hokage hasn't placed any orders to that description, has she Kakashi?"

"I don't believe so, so there would be no reason to arrest you." Sutaru nodded and Jiraiya smiled. Naruto grinned at the three of his four senseis. He gave the thumbs up proudly.

I hope you enjoyed it! Please, read, review, it makes it so much more worthwhile. You guys rock, see you soon!


	20. Chapter 20 Naruto vs Sakura!

Sorry for the extensive delay guys! For those of you that read my other story, you probably know the scoop, but I'm back, I had some ideas for this story, and here I am! Chapter 19 guys, sorry for the huge delay! I hope you enjoy it! Please read and review!

"So wait, what's my task?" Naruto said nervously as the great lightning dragon Denkou floated through the air in front of him.

"Dodge the lightning storms my children and I will create."

"Uh…ok? Sounds easy enough!" Denkou shook his head.

"Do not underestimate a power you seek to control, Naruto. Sutaru wouldn't have you learning to summon me if I wasn't capable of great things."

"Right! Alright well let's do this!" Naruto stood across from the glowing dragon on a mountainous plateau, entirely flat. "So what're the rules?"

"If you are struck by my lightning even once, you will fail and I will not accept you as my second master. You may not leave this plateau."

"Alright, got it! Let's do it!"

"As you wish." Denkou's eyes glowed and hundreds of smaller copies of himself appeared. "And now, let the trial begin." Without actually moving, the dragon's eyes glowed in unison, and dark clouds rolled into view, rumbling and crackling, and small arcs of lightning could be seen as the clouds barely contained the energy.

"Heh, let's see if you can figure out which one is the real one! Multi-shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto clasped his hands together and summoned a dozen clones, who all ran in separate directions. Denkou roared and struck twelve of the thirteen Narutos, dissipating them into smoke.

"Do not underestimate me, boy!" Denkou growled and shot an enormous bolt at Naruto. He leapt out of the way, landing on his hands and springing to his feet.

"Heh, nice try, but you'll have to do better than that!" The lightning began shooting randomly from the clouds, scarring the rocky earth, and Naruto began to run around the plateau, evading them with great success. "Heh, this is easy! WOAH!" Naruto stopped short as a bolt struck the ground at his feet, and he turned to his right, stopping on a dime again as another bolt struck in front of him. He turned left, and did a back-handspring to avoid yet another well placed bolt. He looked upwards with wide eyes as he sucked his stomach in and stood tall, his arms flat at his sides, as a dozen bolts struck the ground around him. He breathed a sigh of relief until an enormous bolt shook the plateau, and he fell to his feet. Another struck between his legs and he began to crawl backwards. "Ahh! How long do I have to keep this up?! Ahh! AHH!" Naruto climbed to his feet and backpedaled furiously, finally turning around and running towards a cliffside.

"Until I am satisfied!" Denkou roared and aimed a bolt at Naruto, who ducked and stared at the blackened rock with wide eyes. He began climbing up the mountain, leaping as the bolts struck around him.

"I gotta find some cover, I can't keep this up all day!" He continued his assent, ducking, dropping, and leaping haphazardly to keep away from the dangerous lightning.

"Let us see you dodge this one, boy!" Denkou's eyes glowed brighter, as did his children's, and the storm stopped suddenly, the clouds still roiling and crackling, but no bolts emitted. Naruto's hair began to stand on end as he looked at the dragon.

"Wait, what?! You're not supposed to be trying to kill me!"

"My trial, my rules, child! NOW DODGE OR DIE!" A bolt of lightning rocketed out of the clouds at Naruto, who was some hundred feet up the mountainside.

"UH-OH!" Naruto let go of the mountain and fell, barely in time as the bolt scorched the mountainside, dislodging an enormous, jagged boulder, which fell after Naruto. "Ahhhhhh!" Naruto screamed as he fell, then hit the ground roughly. He began to rise and rolled over in time to see the boulder falling towards him. "AHHHHHH!" He reared a hand back and summoned blue chakra to it. " I can't win the trial if I die in the process! Rasengan!" His hand lay outstretched as the rock collided with it, the attack disintegrating the rock that it touched. For a moment all was quiet, all Naruto could hear was his own breathing echoing around him, and he could see nothing.

"Eh…what happened?" Naruto felt around him, and realized he'd created a pocket within the enormous boulder, large enough for his entire to body have fit in, unharmed. He could see nothing but felt rock in every direction.

"He…Impossible." Denkou spoke as his children commenced their assault as the bolts struck the boulder, to no effect.

"He had a nickname in his village, so I've heard, Denkou." Sutaru spoke, wearing his wolf-skin cloak over his head.

"And what was that, Sutaru?!" The dragon growled angrily.

"The world's luckiest ninja."

"He did not succeed! A mountain fell on him and shielded him!"

"But he was not struck by your attack, Denkou. If you have the energy remaining, send another bolt like the last one and destroy his shield, though I doubt you have that much energy left." Sutaru turned and took a few steps away before speaking again. "And even if you do have enough left…You'll manage to destroy the boulder and then your powers will be depleted. The boy has won, through luck or skill it matters not." Denkou growled angrily but then sighed in resignation.

"BOY! COME OUT, YOU HAVE SUCCEEDED!" He roared, and Naruto barely heard the roar from inside his hole. He giggled his same old victory giggle.

"I knew I could do it! Hehehe…Um…how do I get out of here?" Naruto started banging furiously on the stone. "Let me out! Let! Me! Out!"

---xxx---

"So, are you ready to let go of your hatred of Naruto and just compete in the Chunin exams, Sasuke?" Kakashi said as he stood, his arms across his chest, holding the newest edition of 'Makeout Paradise". Sasuke grumbled angrily.

"He nearly killed me, Kakashi…"

"You started the fight."

"He beat me, again, while we were chasing him!"

"You were still injured. You nearly crippled your arm."

"He should have been too!"

"You can't compare yourself to Naruto, Sasuke. He is the nine-tailed Jinchuriki. He has the nine-tailed fox, probably the strongest demon in this world, trapped inside of him. That demon accelerates his healing far beyond reasonable, not to mention his strength is probably multipled by an unlimited factor when he gets angry. Stop comparing yourself to Naruto."

"No…no, for years he was the class clown. He's an idiot! He was so weak, barely capable of performing the simplest techniques, and now you're telling me he's surpassed me? Has he surpassed you, Kakashi?" Sasuke glared and Kakashi turned his eyes slightly to the sky.

"Hmmm…good question. I'm not so self-centered that I care. It's perfectly natural for the younger generations to become more powerful than the last. I'm stronger than my father, for example."

"And what about me?! Am I stronger than my father, Fugito? And what about Itachi, huh? And Naruto? Has he surpassed –his- father?"

"You'd be stronger than your father if you weren't so consumed by rage. And Itachi is probably the strongest Uchiha since the founder of your clan, he's not a very good person to be comparing yourself to either."

"If you'd just let me go…You should've let me go to him! I could've gotten stronger!"

"No, Sasuke, I can't let you do that. The mission the Hokage gave me doesn't end until you're dead. I am to ensure that you don't leave and try to join Orochimaru."

"And what if I try to leave again, huh?!" Sasuke growled and bared his teeth.

"Then it'll be just like last time. I don't want to have to subject you to the Mangekyo Sharingan again, Sasuke."

"Leave me alone, Kakashi."

"I'm going to train you and that's the end of it."

"You can't help me get any stronger, we proved that! Naruto is still stronger than me!"

"And why can't I help you? Do you think I'm not stronger than you?"

"You're weak, Kakashi…I bet Naruto is stronger than you now."

"Hmm, I don't know about that. Even if he were stronger, I'm much smarter, and I have more combat experience."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"It means everything." Sasuke glared at him and turned to walk away. "Where are you going, Sasuke?"

"To the training grounds, where else? You're the one who insists." Kakashi shook his head and walked after him.

---xxx---

"Lady Hokage, Naruto and Sutaru have been staying just outside the village."

"And?"

"We thought you should be made aware of the situation."

"Naruto isn't a threat to this village."

"Sutaru may be, and Naruto may still be unstable."

"If Sutaru decides he wants to wage a one man war, then he'll get one and he will be defeated."

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

"Stop wasting time keeping tabs on them and do some actually necessary intelligence gathering."

"Yes, Lady Hokage."

---xxx---

"Welcome to round two of the Chunin exams!" The proctor shouted from the center of the arena. "It has been one month since we last gathered here in order to judge these fine young shinobi on their worthiness of the rank of Chunin!" The crowd exploded into cheering as he paused for effect. "So now, let the final round of the chunin exams begin!" The crowd cheered again and he grinned. "The rules have changed slightly, however! Over the past month, we have spent no small effort in rigging the stadium in order to create morph able terrain! Each fight will take place on an entirely random stage, based around one of the five elements!" The crowd "Ooo"ed and "ahh"ed at the announcement and the proctor continued. "The first round will begin with Naibun Doragon against Sakura Haruno!"

_Oh no, not Sakura! If she finds out, she'll pummel me! _

"Alright, I don't know who you are, but I know you're strong! Don't think I'll go easy on you!" _This guy was with Sasuke before, and they won the whole round. I can't let this thing go on for long! He's good at close range, Ino found that out in the first round, same with Temari, but he's also got some ranged attacks like he used against Lee, and then there's those clones…Kind of like Naruto, they seem to pack a heavy punch. I'll just have to go in swinging and try to end it quickly!_

_Why Sakura? ANYBODY but Sakura! I don't want to hurt her…I could just…Yeah! I don't have to hurt her if I just use a summoning jutsu! And whichever dragon I summon will be able to adapt to the style of the stage!_

"Let the round begin!" Naruto and Sakura stood on opposite sides of the ring as the whole arena shook. The ground around them began to pull away, leaving just two circular platforms which supported the two children. They were slowly lowered as the stage moved away, revealing another similar stage, with gouts of fire randomly spouting from the floor, arching dangerously, threatening to engulf the two fighters. The heat caused the air to be thin, and appear hazy, distorting vision. "Naibun Doragon against Sakura Haruno, Fire stage, begin!" The proctor leapt to a safe position and the two squared off.

Fire stage? How could this get any worse!? I can't summon a fire dragon! I don't even know how well the others will handle a fiery zone like this! This can't possibly get worse!

"You won't win if you're just gonna stand there!" Sakura reared back and threw a wide punch at Naruto as he snapped back to reality. He gasped as he leapt aside, rolling over suddenly as he felt the earth tremble under him. A trail of fire erupted from the ground and arched over them. Sakura pressed the attack, and continued whipping her fists around violently. Naruto scrambled backwards on his hands and feet, desperately avoiding the super-powered punches. He swept his foot out and knocked her off balance, onto her hands and knees, as he climbed to his feet and leapt a safe distance away.

I need more time to think! I don't want to hurt Sakura, but I can't lose this fight! Maybe Kaiyou or one of her children can help me! "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto cried as he thrust his hand into the ground. With a splash of water, a dragon some fifteen feet long, serpentine, deep blue with cat-fish like whiskers appeared and immediately turned to Naruto.

"Child…this terrain…the air is so thin and hot. I can feel the air boiling. What do you ask of me?"

"Cool this place down a little!" The dragon nodded and inhaled deeply, then began spewing water all over the ground. Steam sprouted from everywhere the water touched, filling the air with the burning liquid. "Owowowow! No, stop! That's worse!" Naruto cringed and leapt down to the floor.

"My apologies." The dragon nodded and disappeared.

Well that didn't work…Maybe I should just use the clones and get this over with.

"Stay awake, kid!" Sakura leapt again, holding both hands in a clenched fist as she dropped to the ground like a rock and Naruto looked up with wide eyes.

"Uh-oh…" Naruto dove to the side as she landed, causing a crater as her fists struck the hard ground.

"Come on, I've seen all your fancy moves, you're one of the strongest here! Fight back!"

I can't even talk near here, she'll figure out it's me!

"Fine, if you won't fight, then I will!" She leapt out at him and kicked at head level. Naruto narrowly ducked as her foot collided with the stone, bringing the rubble crashing down.

I've got to do something! I can't lose!

You've got to win, Naruto! Win by any means necessary! Kyuubi whispered into Naruto's mind and he stood stoicly against Sakura.

"By any means necessary."

Thanks for reading guys! Please read and review! Thanks again and glad to be back! Reviews make it all worthwhile guys!


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